My Neighbors are in the Pfizer Vaccine Trial and It’s Working

There has been a lot of talk and speculation about a coronavirus vaccine. The latest news that Pfizer is in the latest round of testing and they have found the vaccine to be about 90% effective. That's great news. Most flu vaccines are only around 50% effective so once the coronavirus vaccine is approved it should really help slow the spread.

So, two of my neighbors, Doug and Jeanie, both signed up for the Pfizer vaccine study as soon as it was announced. They were selected because they are healthy and in a high risk, over 60 age group.

They weren't told if they would be getting a placebo or the actual vaccine, but they noticed some differences after getting their first dose. Doug felt fine after the injection, but Jeanie had a lot of pain at the injection site. It went away and neither of them noticed any side-effects. After the second round of injections, Doug really didn't experience any pain, but Jeanie said her arm was so sore from the shot that it actually woke her up at night. Once again the pain from the injection went away.

Here's where it gets interesting. Jeanie went to the doctor for a check-up. While there, Jeanie mentioned to the doctor that she was part of the vaccine trial. He said, "Wanna check your blood for antibodies when we do your bloodwork?" The doctor tested both Jeanie and Doug's blood for antibodies. The results were pretty definitive Doug had none and Jeanie's blood was jammed packed with coronavirus antibodies. So, at least from one test subject, it sounds like a success.

Governor Cuomo said in a press conference that he's excited about the prospect of a successful vaccine, but isn't very confident in the current administration being able to effectively distribute 320 million doses.

Pfizer has said that even if the vaccine is approved tomorrow they could only produce about 20 million doses by the end of the year and those would go to healthcare workers, first responders, and the most at risk.

Hopefully, the news that I heard from my neighbor is good news for everyone and some light at the end of the covid tunnel.