Local 4 assignment editor shares experience with COVID-19 vaccine trial

Pfizer ready to submit COVID-19 vaccine to FDA for review

DETROIT – Pfizer announced on Wednesday that it is ready to submit its COVID-19 vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review.

The drugmaker reported that its final analysis finds the vaccine is 95 percent effective. That’s even better than originally thought.

READ: Pfizer: COVID-19 shot 95% effective, seeking clearance soon

Local 4 assignment editor Matt Triplett said he wanted to do everything he could to help end the pandemic and get us back to a more normal life.

“I am tired of watching this virus give us all one big gut punch every day,” Triplett said. “I talked to several people I trust and this is just the right thing to do.”

While most of the world has watched and waited for a vaccine, Triplett decided to help make it happen.

“Day one went pretty good. A little nose swab, which really doesn’t hurt. A little uncomfortable, but doesn’t hurt,” Triplett said. “I’ll be back in about 2-3 weeks to get another dose of whatever they gave me and I think everything is going to be fine.”

For Triplett, his motivation for signing up for the trial was personal.

“I know six people that have died from it. Another six or seven I know have gotten sick from it,” he said.

After researching the various trials he signed up. Triplett still doesn’t know if he received the actual vaccine or a placebo.

Pfizer said the trial has found no significant safety concerns but they will continue to follow all of the trial volunteers for the next two years.

Watch the video above for the full report.


Pfizer: COVID-19 shot 95% effective, seeking clearance soon

Pfizer said Wednesday that new test results show its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, is safe and also protects older people most at risk of dying — the last data needed to seek emergency use of limited shot supplies as the catastrophic outbreak worsens across the globe.

The announcement from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, just a week after they revealed the first promising preliminary results, comes as the team is preparing within days to formally ask U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of the vaccine. Anticipating that, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is on standby to publicly debate the data during the second week of December.

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About the Authors:

Dr. McGeorge can be seen on Local 4 News helping Metro Detroiters with health concerns when he isn't helping save lives in the emergency room at Henry Ford Hospital.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.