Duke Health is part of clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine in children

Duke Health is one of several sites across the country involved in a clinical trial testing the COVID-19 vaccine in children.

The trial tests the safety and efficacy of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on 2,000 children across the country aged 12 to 15.

Sophie Holland is one of over 100 children enrolled in the study through Duke.

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The 12-year-old girl is not sure whether she received the vaccine or a placebo used for the study. But she said she had side effects after the second dose, so she believes she received the vaccine.

“About 10 to 12 hours after receiving it I had chills and then I had a fever the next day,” Holland said. “But it wasn’t too bad. It only lasted a few days and then it was over.”

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Holland’s father, Thomas, is an infectious doctor at Duke.

“I think mRNA vaccines have been shown to be very, very safe for millions and millions of doses in adults,” said Dr Holland. “So I felt really good about the likely safety profile in his age range as well.”

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“I feel happy to contribute to all the science and everything and when I first heard about it I understood that it could be risky because we didn’t know much about how it affects children, but I realized what we need to do to find out more is participate in the trial, ”said Sophie Holland.

Holland had blood and nasal swabs taken every few weeks as part of the trial.

“That’s all I’m proud of her for and I’ve been with her on every visit and I’ve watched her do these things and it’s 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 11. It could start as early as this spring.