Former BC resident who participated in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine study

A former Vancouver resident is sharing his firsthand experience as one of the thousands who have agreed to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials around the world.

Peter Wearing, who now lives in Arizona, is participating in the Stage 3 vaccine study at the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca.

The UK-based drug maker’s vaccine is seen as an important part of the vaccine solution, as it doesn’t need to be transported in super-cooled temperatures and is offered at a fraction of the price of its competitors.

Both elements make it particularly promising for the developing world.

“I felt I was in good health and had received vaccines in the past and have never had any adverse reactions, so I felt I will do my part,” Wearing told Global News.

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“On my first visit I signed a lot of paperwork, they took four vials of blood, I had a checkup by a doctor.”

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He was then given two shots, two months apart – the second just two days ago. Wearing it is not safe if you are receiving the actual vaccine or are in a control group receiving a placebo.

He said some people get typical reactions to a flu shot, such as a rash or fevers, but they didn’t.

“You don’t even feel it come in, it’s as fine as a needle. The next day your muscles are a little tender, “he said.

Oxford and AstraZeneca reported in November that their vaccine appeared to be 62% effective in people who received two doses and 90% when volunteers were given a half dose followed by a full dose.

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It later emerged that they had discovered the half-dose advantage due to a manufacturing error that saw some people get a lower dose unintentionally. The company may conduct a future clinical trial specifically around the half then full dose program.

Wearing said it was important for him to participate because he still remembers an era when children commonly fell ill with polio. Vaccine development was key to eradicating that disease.

“I have many friends who are anti-vaxxers. I mean, they’re pretty serious about it, they even challenged me on that, “he said.

“About five years ago I took the time to read what they said was their research, and then I read the counter-research. I am a type of science, I like science and eventually I came to the side of traditional science. “

Wearing said he has given a two-year commitment to the project and that doctors will continue to take blood samples to test Wearing for antibodies to the virus.

But he’s also been told that if he’s, in fact, in the placebo group, he’ll be given the actual vaccine if and when he gets approval in the United States.

“The fact that it’s coming out so fast, less than a year, is really exciting,” he said.

Canada has pre-ordered 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but it’s unclear when it could get regulatory approval.

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