[maxehmookau]

Yes. I had generalized pain in both arms after the first injection. Not the second. Nothing worse than you'd expect from another vaccination.

Mild fever for 48 hours that meant I was too tired to exercise, but I was more than fine to work. (I'm a software engineer. I think if I had a more manual job, I would've struggled!)

My follow-ups are every 2 months at a local hospital. They take general observations, ask about side effects and take a small blood sample (presumably to test for antibodies)

[taneq]

Do you know if the placebo is laced with something to simulate those side effects? Or is that a clue that you got the real thing? Also I'd assume the vaccine would make you test positive for the immunological screening tests?

[maxehmookau]

This trial doesn't use a placebo, it uses an active control. In this case, an already licenced vaccine for meningitis.

So the side-effects I had could be due to that vaccine, I don't know.

Yes, in theory it would make me test positive for an antigen test. So I'm barred from donating blood as my sample would show as positive for COVID-19 antibodies.

[taneq]

Oh, interesting! Thanks for the extra info.

Wow, if they're insisting on COVID-19-antibody-free blood for donations that's going to cause problems as a greater percentage of the population gains antibodies to it. I guess they'll have to change to a specific test for current infection.

[maxehmookau]

Sorry, I think I was unclear!

This is a rule only for those in the trial. If I donate blood today, having had the vaccine, and the blood donation service checks my blood for antibodies and informs me that I had COVID-19 (or so they think!), then I will have been unblinded in the trial which isn't allowed.

This isn't the case for the general population. I'm also not allowed to take part in any other antibody tests that might accidentally unblind me in the trial.

[taneq]

Ohhhh right that makes sense.