NC teen sisters honored to help out in Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial

Sisters Emma and Ava McCallister of Elon recently took part in the Pfizer vaccine trial. They just received their second dose as part of a two-year study at Duke University.

"Personally, I was really excited to do it because I really wanted to get the vaccine so I can get out of the house," Emma said.

The girls have their mom, Jennifer McCallister, to thank. She works in medical research so she had an idea about the vaccine trials and asked her daughters if they would be interested in participating. McCallister made them feel comfortable with getting the vaccine and assured them it was nothing to be afraid of.

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"We got there and saw what the science was and that they could participate and make a difference," McCallister said. "I really want to encourage other parents when the vaccine is available to everyone to get their children vaccinated."

"If it weren’t safe, they wouldn’t it put it out there," she added.

Going forward, the girls must do an at-home nasal swab test for the next six months or so. The girls said that they don't know whether they got the placebo or the actual shot since it's a blinded study. But they're glad to help either way.

"We’re really participating to help other people," Ava said.