BOISE, Idaho — A Boise 14-year-old recently took part in a trial of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine ahead of its approval for emergency use for ages 12-15. While the local teen does not yet know if he received the real vaccine or a placebo, he feels very well.
Since the COVID-19 vaccine became available in Idaho, many parents have been faced with the decision to vaccinate or not vaccinate their children.
Currently, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is the only one available to everyone age 16 and older in the United States. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to authorize emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12-15 in the coming days.
Children between the ages of 12-15 have been eligible to participate in trials for the Pfizer vaccine ahead of its approval. One of those teenagers was 14-year-old Brady Harbison, a freshman at One Stone High School in Boise.
Once he heard that young teens were wanted for the Pfizer trial, he decided to participate.
"I really knew close to nothing about the COVID vaccine trial," Brady said. "I thought it was a little bit of my duty, if you will, to go out and test it and make sure it's safe for everybody else to go get."
Since Thanksgiving, Brady has been waiting to find out if he was given two doses of the real Pfizer vaccine or a placebo. Other than getting poked and prodded from time to time, the trial has been a breeze for him.
"When I got that first shot, I didn't feel really anything," Brady said. "It was just like a normal shot. And then after the second one, I still didn't really feel anything."
Brady's 16-year-old sister took part in the Pfizer trial for her age group, according to their mother, Suzy Harbison. Participating in the trial was something both Brady and his sister brought up in the first place. Naturally, Harbison admitted to being nervous about their participation at first.
"He thought this was one of the best ways to make sure there's in-person school next year and it kind of broke my heart a little bit," she said. "As a mom, you're always worried, or I'm always worried about my kids and what's happening. I was a very watchful mamma bird there for each one of those shots and it went pretty well."
Brady got his first shot around Thanksgiving and the second one around Christmas. He chose to participate in a two-year longevity trial to determine how long immunity lasts for children his age who receive the Pfizer vaccine.
"We are all in this together and it's not about whether you and your child are high risk, it's those around you," Harbison said. "We care about everybody around us and we want to see people get back to normal as we knew it before."
While he still does not know whether he received the real vaccine or placebo, Brady took a risk that not all 14-year-olds would be willing to take. He hopes that when the vaccine does become available to people in his age group, they too will follow suit.
"Some people, when I told them I was in the trial, kinda wanted to join a little bit for the same reason I did, to get back to how it was pre-COVID," Brady said. " Better safe than sorry. I know it's said a lot, but it's true."
Brady will find out shortly whether he was given the placebo or the Pfizer vaccine. When the FDA issues an emergency use authorization, he will be first in line for the real thing if he was given the placebo.
Facts not fear: More on coronavirus
See our latest updates in our YouTube playlist: