‘I think it’s safe’: Brandon attorney part of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine study – Clarion Ledger

Pfizer says its potential COVID-19 vaccine was 95% effective in final results. It will submit the candidate for approval from the FDA within days. Video Elephant

Brandon attorney Bill Blair is normally trying to win cases in a courtroom, but now he is hoping tohelp society win against the coronavirus.

Blair is one of nearly 50,000participants acting as humanguinea pigs for Pfizer's experimental coronavirus vaccine.

Pfizer and BioNTech have said data from their Phase 3 study in which Blair is a participant demonstrated the vaccine candidate was 95% effective in helping to prevent COVID-19.

Pfizer said Friday on its website that a request has been submitted tothe U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine.

If authorized by the FDA, then the investigational vaccine could be used in high-risk populations in the U.S. by the end of December, Pfizer said. At least two other companies have announced possible COVID-19 vaccines with high success rates for preventing the virus.

"There is so much negativity in this country, we need to be doing things to help each other," Blair said.

Attorney Bill Blair, a participant in Pfizer's vaccine study(Photo: Special to Clarion Ledger)

"My childrendidn't want me to do it; they wereconcerned for my safety," he said Wednesday. "My wife didn't want me to do it. She was concerned with myhealth issues that it might not be safe."

At 67, Blair said he was in the high risk category for COVID-19 due to his age and a damaged heart from a heart attack two years ago. He also suffers from hypertension andasthma.

COVID-19 on the rise: UMMC official calls for statewide mask mandate as COVID-19 cases rise

"I honestly had no fear about it and I guess you could say I was stupid about it;" Blair said. "I was just not concerned about it."

Blair said he was more concerned about a COVID-19 test swab stuck up his nose hurting than problems with the vaccine.

Blair said he wanted to be part of the historic study, but also had a selfish reason because of his health problems. It wasn't easy to become a participant in the program, he said.And Blair said he must drive three hours each way to the Mississippi Gulf Coast asaparticipant, a trip he has to make a total of six times over the two-year period.

Pfizer and BioNTech released early study results indicating that their vaccine prevented more than 90% of infections with the virus that causes COVID-19.(Photo: Getty)

When he got the first shot, Blair said he felt a little tired while driving home from the coast. The second time, he started to feel a little sick to his stomach. There was no question in his mind that he got the actual vaccine the second time. He believes the first shot was a placebo, but doesn't know for sure, since the participants aren't provided info on the shots.

That night after getting the second shot, Blair said he developed astrong case of what felt like the flu, withbad chills,a low-grade temperature of 100 and anachy body feeling. That next day, he had started feeling better but stillwent to health clinic.

"I would tell people who take the vaccine to be prepared to take off the next day because it might make you a little sick," Blair said.

After getting what he believes was the vaccine, Blair said he has a growing feeling of ease about getting the virus.

"I would tell anyone on the fence to go ahead and do it," Blair said. "I think it's safe. I would do it again and if it's (a) manual shot, I wouldbe the first in line."

Blair said he has an 8-year-old granddaughter who spends a lot of her time with. He said her life has been interrupted by COVID.

He said: "I wanted her to feel pa paw was doing whatever he could to help out."

Contact Jimmie E. Gates at 601-961-7212 or jgates@gannett.com. Follow @jgatesnews on Twitter.

Read or Share this story: https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2020/11/27/brandon-man-one-of-44-000-participants-in-pfizers-vaccine-study/6406462002/

Go here to read the rest:

'I think it's safe': Brandon attorney part of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine study - Clarion Ledger