We Tested the COVID-19 Vaccine

Think back to last fall. Chances are you were going to school online, wearing a mask everywhere, and counting down the days until you could hang out with friends again.

Now think about life today. While no one can predict what the coming year will hold, these past months have felt a little more normal. A lot of that change is due to the development of vaccines for Covid-19. Although not everyone is eligible for the vaccine (people with certain medical conditions can’t get it, and at press time, researchers were still testing vaccines for kids under 12), most people, including teenagers, can now be vaccinated. That wouldn’t have been possible without the involvement of teens who helped test out vaccines for Covid-19.

After intense discussions with their families, the teens on the following pages agreed to participate in clinical trials (see “What Is a Clinical Trial?”), so that scientists could make sure the vaccines were safe for teens.

So what’s it like to test out a medicine the world has been waiting for? Read on to find out.

"When I learned the COVID-19 clinical trials were opening up to 16-year-olds, I jumped at the opportunity to participate. Teenagers and people of color are often underrepresented in research. Being African American, I was passionate about being able to represent both demographics in the clinical trials. I scheduled my first appointment as soon as I turned 16.

“The doctors and researchers were extremely welcoming and made sure I felt comfortable. I was most surprised by the response from my peers. They told me that I was a hero for being in the trial, but to me it was a no-brainer. When else would I have the chance to be part of something so important? I was excited to be able to answer my friends’ questions and clear up any misconceptions they had about how the vaccine works.

“Even though I was just one member in a study, I feel like I was able to make a real difference for a lot of people. Now that my age group is eligible for the vaccine, I hope we all get it!”

My dad’s a doctor, and when the Covid-19 clinical trials opened up to my age group, he thought I might be interested. To be honest, I hesitated at first. I didn’t know what side effects I would experience, and I was worried that if I didn’t feel great, I’d miss out on school. But I knew that participating in the research could help make the vaccine accessible for other kids who want to be protected and back in the classroom, so I decided to go through with it.

“I did experience a few symptoms after I got the shots, like arm pain, fatigue, and a sore throat. Luckily I didn’t have school the next day, so I didn’t miss anything. And I completely think those symptoms were worth it. Now that the trial has wrapped up and kids my age are eligible for the vaccine, I’m hopeful that even younger kids, like my brother, will be able to get their shots soon too.”

“During the pandemic, our family was serious about taking precautions to stay safe. So when our mom found out about the trials, we jumped at the chance to help make everyone else safer too.

“During the trial, none of us knew if we got the placebo or the real vaccine, and neither did the person who administered our shots—but we all kept our fingers crossed that we got the real deal. We wanted protection from Covid-19!

“Soon, however, we began suspecting that Maddie had gotten the placebo, and therefore hadn’t been protected from getting sick from the virus. She started feeling bad, and wound up having to go to the hospital. A Covid-19 test came back positive—Maddie must have been exposed somewhere and caught the virus. Fortunately, she completely recovered.

“Once our age groups became eligible for the actual vaccine, we were able to find out if we had received the real vaccine or the placebo. We learned that just as we’d suspected, Maddie had gotten the placebo, but Wyatt and Lily received the Covid-19 vaccine, which may be why they didn’t get sick when Maddie did. We saw the vaccine work in real life!”