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- Jenny Hamilton, 57, is a former police officer who now works in security for the film industry and lives in Atlanta.
- She is participating in the Pfizer vaccine trial, which recently developed the world’s first effective coronavirus vaccine in record time.
- After receiving the first two injections, Hamilton says she experienced what looked like a cold – low-grade fevers, fatigue and muscle pain.
- Hamilton kept a diary of her symptoms and found it comforting that a study coordinator called or texted to see how she was feeling; she will continue to keep the diary for two years.
- “I’m glad that others can have some protection,” Hamilton told Business Insider.
- This is what her experience looks like, as recounted by Lauren Lee.
- Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.
My family member is a nurse who contracted COVID-19 probably from early to mid-May. We kinda expected that because they visit a lot of people in assisted living and nursing homes, so we figured they were waiting for the shoe to drop.
It was very disappointing for us as a family. They ended up having a light form, which was lucky for us. They have a few other pre-existing conditions that put them at a higher risk of more serious results.
Since we were denounced in January, I have always viewed the pandemic as a once-in-a-century pandemic.
I had been thinking about what I could do to help, even though I am basically a high risk walking category for COVID. I have asthma and Hashimoto, an autoimmune disease.
I actively sought to be a part of it. It is above all a monumental opportunity to be able to help your fellow citizens and to be able to promote a therapy or a vaccine that will prevent people from dying. I really haven’t thought twice about it. It was something I was looking for and I did it mainly because my family members are nurses.
They didn’t make it easy. I looked for information on where the trials were being conducted and waited for details to be provided on how I could sign up for a trial. I had heard other people signed up to participate and wanted to know where they got this information from.
There are three institutions in the Atlanta area that are doing the study. I’m with Clinical Research Atlanta in Stockbridge, Georgia.
Read more: We just received our first proof that a coronavirus vaccine works. Here’s everything we know about the vaccine race and when you might be able to get the vaccine.
I finally went to their website and filled out a little survey. I was called the next day.
I was finally accepted into the trial in mid-August.
I’m participating in the Pfizer trial, where we get two doses.
They asked me a bunch of questions and tested me for COVID as part of the test. They drew blood and gave me the first injection. At that time, I didn’t know I was getting the placebo or the vaccine, but I knew that that night I started to get really tired. The next day I was really exhausted, and then I started to have a fever. My temperature was 99, almost 100 degrees, for two and a half to three days.
After the first injection, I waited three weeks and got another injection in early September. It was the same scenario – I was really tired the next day. It was a bit harsher, where I didn’t even want to get up to prepare something to eat. I just lay in my bed and slept most of the day and always had a mild fever for two or three days.
After that, I’m fine. I am currently in the third phase of the study. I had the blood test a month after the last injection and I will have another blood test in March to see if I have any antibodies – or different responses with platelets and white blood cells – to find out what is my body’s response.
They ask you to fill out a journal.
Each time you get an injection, you are supposed to detail in your answers what your side effects are for seven days: what your temperature is, how stiff you are, how much pain you are and on a scale, how severe it is.
Read more: Biotech executives researching COVID-19 vaccines and treatments have grossed more than $ 1 billion selling shares of the company this year. Here are the 27 leaders who cashed the most.
If you are more than moderate on any of the questions you have, a study coordinator will contact you.
For example, one of my questions was about fatigue. When I put “severe” on fatigue, the study coordinator texted me shortly after and wanted to get a feel for how I was doing. The same happened when my temperature was high for a longer period of time after the second injection.
She basically said that the side effects of this particular vaccine are usually more severe with the second injection than the first, so that was normal.
They are very good at following up with you.
It will ask you with certain entries in your journal to call your study coordinator. She calls right away, wants to make sure you’re okay, and determines the severity of your reactions.
These are the kinds of things that I found comforting.
Other than that, they don’t really speak to you. They just say if you feel bad you can call anytime. Or if you feel like withdrawing from the study, you can call immediately and they will tell you about it. They try to alleviate situations where someone is feeling scared or anxious.
I never felt anything like this, as this situation was like having a mild cold.
Read more: Here’s how 9 major drugmakers rush to develop new kind of coronavirus treatment despite early setback
Even though I am in the last phase, the study will last two years.
I’m going to have to fill out a journal once a week at least for two years. They want you to fill out a diary to see if you have any symptoms or feel like you’ve contracted COVID-19. If you do, they’ll give you a test to take a nasal swab and pick it up.
The way they were explaining to me, the last blood test they will take is in March.
Read more: Read a timeline of when Pfizer’s new coronavirus vaccine could reach ordinary people – a process likely to take months.)
Even though I feel like I have another layer of protection, I still wear my mask. I’m really careful. I have gone out to eat on occasion, but since the entire pandemic my perception has changed. I despise restaurants that do not impose masks and social distancing. I make sure to distance myself socially in places.
It’s wonderful that it looks like the trial is on the cusp of producing a successful candidate for the vaccine. I am glad that others can benefit from some protection.
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