The trial tests the safety and effectiveness of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on 2,000 children nationwide between the ages of 12 and 15.
Sophie Holland is one of approximately 100 children enrolled in the study through Duke.
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The 12-year-old does not know whether she received the vaccine or a placebo used in the study. But she said she got side effects after the second dose, so she believes she got the vaccine.
“10 to 12 hours after I got it, I had chills and the next day I had a fever,” Holland said. ‘But it was not too bad. It only took a few days and then it was all over. ‘
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Holland’s father, Thomas, is an infectious disease doctor at Duke.
“I think the mRNA vaccines have been proven to be very, very safe at millions and millions of doses in adults,” said Dr. Holland. “So I also felt very good about the likely safety profile in her age range.”
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“I feel happy to contribute to all the science and stuff and when I first heard about it I understood it could be risky because we didn’t know much about how it affects kids but I realized what we need to do to find out more about that is to participate in the trial, ‘said Sophie Holland.
Holland gets blood samples and nasal swabs every few weeks as part of the trial.
“Those are all things that I am proud of and I have been with her on each of the visits and seen her do those things and that is part of her contribution to science,” said Dr. Holland.
They no longer enroll children in the study.
Duke hopes to participate in the next phase of the study for children under the age of 11. It could already start this spring.
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