I'm in Pfizer's COVID vaccine trial, ask me anything.

[Diomedes]

You're welcome, but this isn't much of one to take. My wife and I actually talked about the risks here, which are pretty tiny, all things considered. We can both do this one little thing to maybe contribute to maybe getting to the end of this, so we did. The logic is that nobody's asking us to storm the beaches or get beat crossing a bridge. All things considered, if this is what young, healthy people of our generation can do, that's not asking much.

[Foldadoom]

As there are 9 documented strains ...how will they achieve famil immunity?

[Diomedes]

...nope. not touching this one.

[skinnyfatguy]

With demand likely to be very high, and supply initially low, have you heard if there are there any plans to require antibody testing prior to giving someone the vaccine? I'm assuming people who have already contracted the virus won't see much benefit from the vaccine, and my understand is it's likely there have been millions of unagonized cases in people that were asymptomatic or only had mild symptoms.

[Yellow5]

Can you still carry & transmit the virus even if the vaccine makes you immune to it yourself?

[bored383]

just wanted to say thank you for taking one for the big team

[foughtwolf]

How long did the erection last?
Havelock heard Bill Gates voice in your head yet?

[Diomedes]

mRNA typically has a pretty short duration, so you're not actually making the spike proteins for all that long. I don't know exactly how long in this particular case, because there are ways to make mRNA last longer or break down faster, but in general I'd guess we're talking about hours rather than days. But I could be wrong about that. The idea is to make a TON of them in that time, though. No telomeres, because this is just a little piece of RNA - only chromosomes (big pieces of DNA) have telomeres protecting the ends. Though there are similar structures for mRNA, the 5' cap and 3' poly-A tail, that protect it from breaking down like telomeres do for chromosomes.

Def get mad if you put food in the vaccine freezer. And also that would hurt your tongue. A lot.

[Boddah2]

Just saving this thread


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[Diomedes]

Nah, it's really just the mercury and the chip, see the above comments.

(Joking, people.)

[Cyberpyr8]

You're definitely brave, not only for trying the vaccine but doing a AMA here on MCB! The comments didn't disappoint. Thanks for sharing the info. I know a lot of people are curious about it.

[Tarsun2]

how long will your cells continue to produce the "spike protein"?
is there a lifespan based on telomere length?
and will the lab get mad if i store my ice-pops in the vaccine freezers?

[Diomedes]

Let's see...

Yes, it's mRNA for the spike protein. Ongoing protection will depend on how drastic any future mutations are, so it's hard to say with any confidence. The trial lasts two years, so presumably they'll be checking for a match between the antibodies and whatever virus is currently circulating two years out.

No idea about which would be better. My understanding is that they all work basically the same way, and 65+ will probably be near the front of the line, but talk to your actual doctor.

I think that's right, healthcare workers (especially those with potenial COVID patients) first, then high risk groups in descending order, starting with 65+.

Vaccines do both. It's all about probabilities. With a vaccine, you're less likely to actually be infected (because you're better able to prevent an *exposure* from becoming an *infection*), and if you are infected, you're more likely to effectively fight it rapidly, reducing the duration and severity.

[Diomedes]

We all already have tails. They're just really short.

[Diomedes]

The chip was a little itchy at first, don't even notice it anymore. And idk if the other vaccines do this, but Pfizer's chip has built-in GPS, so that's convenient if you're taking a trip somewhere new.

(Relax everyone, there's no chip.)