Science: An Update

So you might remember that back in February, the boys began their participation in a vaccine trial for the Moderna COVID vaccine for 12-17 year olds.

And then, remember how last month, Pfizer beat Moderna to market for that age group? Meanwhile all of their friends were getting vaccinated, but we were being patient. We were told the study would be getting unblinded (which means we’d find out who got the vaccine and who got the placebo) at the end of May, at which time whoever wasn’t vaccinated the first time would get it.

But then the sponsors of the Moderna study decided, nah, they were going to wait until the fall to unblind the study, which meant the boys would be starting school possibly unvaccinated.

Well, we got a call last week from one of the lovely nurses working at the clinic giving us the option of unblinding, but whoever wasn’t vaccinated would have to leave the study. (And I’d march them right to CVS to get Pfizer.)

Not ideal (I mean, what about science, but also, what about a kid or two being mad that they weren’t going to make all the money that the other(s) would get? Because if they were vaccinated, they could stay in the study.

We got an appointment today for their unblinding. Our theory after the first shot was that Oliver and Linus got the vaccine, and Miles did not, because Oliver and Linus were fatigued and feverish afterwards and Miles was fine. But then that theory kind of blew up when, after the second shot, only Miles was fatigued. So I really had no idea going into it.

{In the study, 2/3 of participants got the vaccine, 1/3 got the placebo. So it was natural to assume our three would fall into those proportions.}

In the appointment today (boy I really am dragging this out, huh?) they had to have physicals and blood draws and COVID tests (the usual) and I had to fill out the consent forms since the study had changed (re: the unblinding) and blah blah blah finally after about an hour, the doctor was able to go get the results.

I was sitting in my usual chair in the exam room when I heard the doctor say as he walked down the hall towards us, “I can’t believe it. They all got it.”

He walked in the room and confirmed it. And then this was me: