Getting Jabbed With EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE!

This is a Retropost. I wrote it contemporaneously - but was only allowed to publish it a year later.

Today I took part in "A Phase 2/3, Randomized, Observer-blind, Active-controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of Omicron Variant Vaccines in Comparison with mRNA-1273 (Prototype) Booster Vaccine".

In the name of science, I allowed myself to be injected with an experimental mRNA vaccine in the hope that it gives me super-powers and makes me invincible. Or, as they rather more prosaically put it:

The purpose of this study is to compare how your body responds to the booster dose of mRNA-1273.529 or mRNA-1273.214 (Omicron variant study vaccines) with authorised Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine (Spikevax). This study will also test the safety of these vaccines by recording the number of side effects.

Basically, a lovely team of scientists are going to monitor me (and a few hundred other people) to see if this thing is effective against Omicron and whether it causes me to grow an extra nipple. Of course, being a blind-study, I won't know if I've got the new and improved version. But it's a 50/50 chance. If not, I'll still get a regular booster. No placebos here! So, for the next year I'll be filling in a diary and regularly reporting back to the trial team to see what happens.

Sadly, the terms of the trial mean that I can't talk about the specifics of it until it is over. So, that's why this blog post has been published 12 months after the fact.

Huge thanks to my wife who got on the trial first and then cheekily asked if her current squeeze could also participate.

And thanks to the person who shared this into our timeline:

Royal Free London

@RoyalFreeNHS

We’re now recruiting volunteers aged 16 and over to take part in a clinical trial evaluating a booster vaccine that may help protect against the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

To learn more and see if you qualify, visit
➡️ bit.ly/38B3y8N pic.x.com/3f5y6slhwx

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Friday, 22nd April 2022

The first day was rather time consuming. A huge document to read through with a doctor where they explained everything which could go wrong (not much) and what was going to happen to all the vials of blood I gave them.

Then, a bunch of physical examinations to see whether I was healthy enough to take part. My blood pressure and BMI were deemed satisfactory.

But then, disaster! As this was the first day of the trial, the team weren't quite sure how to work the Moderna(?) randomisation software. This is the thing which randomly assigns participants a pseudononymous ID and flips a coin to see who gets the regular booster and who gets the Omicron version.

Once that was done, it was stick up the nose time. Eugh! And then several vials of blood to be taken. The staff were fantastic - calm, professional, and happy to chat.

After a bunch more waiting around, a friendly nurse jabbed me with magic potion. Then 15 minutes of waiting to make sure I didn't have an immediate reaction.

While that was happening, I got to grips with the (crappy) Android app which pings me reminders to enter my observations. It's a crude bit of survey tech, but it works.

I also got a bunch of LFD tests, a digital thermometer, and a card with contact information on.

Over the next few days I'll fill in survey, talk to the trial team to make sure I'm OK, and report any weirdness. Apparently Moderna will be paying me a few quid per survey I answer. Which is nice.

Saturday, 23rd April 2022

24 hours afterwards and… not much to report. My arm is a bit sore - and I'm a little tired. But it's nothing like as bad as the last three. Hmmm… I wonder if that means I've just got the regular booster and my immune system isn't too fussed by it?

Ah, but in the evening, the headache hit. Nothing that an ibuprofen couldn't handle.

Friday, 29th April 2022

My first phone call with the research team. I reassured them that I hadn't sprouted any new appendages, and that nothing had fallen off. No medication - apart from an ibuprofen for the aforementioned headache. All done and dusted in 5 minutes.

Thursday, 12th May 2022

I've just spent 3 days at a crowded conference. A few people wearing masks, but not many. Lots of hand-shaking and (well-ventilated) enclosed spaces. Let's see if I get any symptoms.

Friday, 20th May 2022

A month after the initial jabbing, they took my blood again. This will be tested to see if I have super powers.

Tuesday, 31st May 2022

Buggeration. I went to bed last night with a sore throat. This morning, Liz's LFT has a little red line. Mine remains clear. This either means I have the super-drug in my body, or I cocked up the test.

(Spoiler alert - I cocked up the test.)

Interestingly, the LFT supplied by the study had a code on it which wasn't recognised by the reporting service. So I used the negative one to report the problem, sending out pings far and wide.

Wednesday, 1st June 2022

So far, things aren't so bad. Quite snuffly, with a sinus headache. Sore throat seems to have abated. Bit cold and shivery. Basically like the tail end of a bad cold. Slight shortness of breath, but nothing drastic.

Utterly gutted to be missing #EMFcamp.

Thursday, 2nd June 2022

Feeling… OK! Bit snotty and snuffly, but easily taken care of with Sudafed. Throat almost completely fine. Things are looking hopeful!

Friday, 3rd June 2022

Spoke too soon! Easily the worst night's sleep I've ever had. My coughing woke me up! I've never experienced that before. Also had the unnerving experience of waking soaked in sweat - like sodden through the sheets. Eugh!

But the day was better. I was able to do some light DIY (yay bank holidays).

Saturday, 4th June 2022

Woke up feeling great. A bit coughy, but nothing too bad. As instructed, we took LFTs. Usually, you have to wait 30 minutes for a result - within 30 seconds a thick red line had emerged!

Friday, 11th June 2022

Went back to the experimental centre. Had a swab test, but no bloods taken - which I thought was a bit weird. My blood pressure and O2 saturation were both normal. So, with a clean bill of health I was released back into the wild.

After 30 months of basically not getting ill, this was a deeply weird experience. I can't say I cared for it - but it was a lot milder than I was expecting. With a bunch of home-delivery apps and a load of trashy TV, it wasn't the worst way to spend a week and a bit.

Tuesday, 19th October 2022

Another visit to the clinic. The week before, I got paid the £28 for getting this far through the study. Not exactly danger-money, but it pays for a pizza.

Despite the desperate need for blood donations, I'm still banned from bleeding into a bag.

Had to sign another consent form for unblinding me if I get offered a booster jab. That'll update my medical records and let the NHS know which variant I now need.

Sunday, 1st January 2023

Spent all of Xmas in Malaysia and New Zealand. Something like 72 hours of flying all told. Stayed masked for the majority of it - although most passengers weren't. Survived without catching anything, despite the rising levels.

Thursday, 13th April 2023

...and done! Last lot of bloods taken. Last nasal swab (for science purposes). Last time being "Experimental Subject #74123". Uneventful and, dare I say, underwhelming.

She Unblinded Me With Science.

This was a double-blind experiment. Neither I nor my doctors knew whether I'd received the classic booster or the exciting new one.

In my head, I knew that getting either jab was important for science. The control group is vital to monitoring effectiveness. But in my heart, I wanted to be one of the cool kids with the preview of the unreleased new stuff.

As I did manage to contract the lurgy, I assume I was on the old one. I'm not sure exactly when they'll unblind me - but I'm rather looking forward to finding out what jab I got.