Special Guest: Vaccine Trial Participant, Caleb Chung 👏
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Episode 87 Description
In today’s episode: 💯 Hear from 12 year old vaccine trial participant, Caleb Chung about his experiences in the Pfizer trial. 👩🏿🔬 Learn about how a vaccine trial works and how scientists test for safety. 📰Catch up on the latest headlines. And why are we eating things that are blue? Find out in the Trivia on the Ten! 🧐
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Sources for this episode:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/18/cdc-says-600000-kids-aged-12-to-15-have-received-covid-shots-in-last-week-.html
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/19/979340096/how-the-covid-19-trials-in-children-are-going-to-work
https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-clinical-trials-test-covid-19-vaccines-146061
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01061-4
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01061-4
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/05/18/celebration-in-honor-of-george-floyd-to-be-held-on-anniversary-of-his-death/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/business/pokemon-cards-target.html?referringSource=articleShare
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/11/995936257/meet-americas-newest-chess-master-10-year-old-tanitoluwa-adewumi
https://youth.gov/feature-article/june-lgbt-pride-month
Headlines:
bluepooproject.com
TRANSCRIPT:
Various Voices 0:00
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Bethany Van Delft 0:06
I'm Bethany Van Delft and this is The Ten News, where we get the lowdown on what's up in the world. It's Tuesday, May 25, vaccines, routines, new mask news and more. There's been a lot of updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. And today we will meet one of the kids that helped test the vaccine. Let's get into The Ten.
The US has been working hard to kick COVID to the curb. And recently, kids ages 12 to 15 became eligible to get the Pfizer vaccine and less than a week after it became available, more than 600,000 kids have gotten their first shot. That's 60 kids per minute getting vaccinated.
A Kid 0:57
Nice.
Bethany Van Delft 0:58
But what about younger kids? Pfizer says they hope to get the next group, kids ages five to 12 approved by September. Trials her kids younger than 12 all the way down to babies are going on right now to make sure the shot is safe for them too. Hold on. Let's back up. What is a vaccine trial? So vaccines go through three stages of testing on people. The first two are with small groups where doctors can carefully track people in case there's side effects. Then in phase three, the group gets larger, usually with thousands of people. The participants either receive a dose of the vaccine or a placebo, or shot that doesn't include any medicine at all. This way doctors can compare the people who got the vaccine with those who didn't, to see who gets sick. If more people who got the vaccine stay healthy over the people who didn't, they know it works.
A Kid 1:57
Cool beans, man.
Bethany Van Delft 1:58
Doctors also measure what's called an immune response to see how the body responds to the vaccine. Kids of different age groups may need different doses of the vaccine. So that's just one part of what the trials are testing. But experts agree that the country needs to vaccinate kids to move past the pandemic and get us closer to normal. Do you want to learn more about getting the vaccine? Well, we've got you covered. Our correspondent Pamela Kirkland recently sat down with a kid who participated in the vaccine trial.
Pamela Kirkland 2:35
COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer was recently approved for use in kids aged 12 to 15. While that's awesome news, I bet some of you tenors have questions about the vaccine and what it's like to get a shot. So we wanted to talk to Caleb Chung, he was a participant in the Pfizer vaccine trial for kids and his dad, Dr. Richard Chung, a pediatrician at Duke University in North Carolina. Thank you both for coming on The Ten.
Caleb Chung 3:01
Thank you for inviting us.
Pamela Kirkland 3:02
So Caleb, tell us about why you wanted to participate in the trial.
Caleb Chung 3:08
Well, I'm in they wanted to participate in this trial, because it was a great opportunity that was actually given to me, as my dad brought back the news in early to mid December last year that a few of his colleagues were like, starting to move down into the 12 to 15 year old age group. So I thought this would be a really great opportunity to help out and fight back against the virus because there wasn't much I could really do.
Pamela Kirkland 3:38
And how did you feel after you got the shot? Were you nervous at all?
Caleb Chung 3:43
I wasn't too nervous because I'm, I believe that the science is reliable and that it's safe. And I did experience a few side effects like headaches and arm and leg pain as well as fatigue or sore throat. And actually, a few days ago, I received the news that I actually was one of the people who got the actual vaccine and not the placebo. So I was really excited that I had that protection all along.
Pamela Kirkland 4:11
Dr. Chung, how did you feel about your son participating in the trial? And what was your own vaccination experience like?
Dr. Chung 4:18
Yeah, so as Caleb mentioned, we heard about it in December. And so some colleagues at Duke, were helping to conduct the trial here, but I heard about that Caleb at the time was 12. And, you know, around that time, that was when a lot of the initial news about these vaccines, at least for adults had come out. And so there is a lot of positive news about it being safe and effective in the trials and people are getting excited about that. As a pediatrician, though, somebody who takes care of a lot of young people, including age 10, you know, we've always been throughout the pandemic, really trying to make sure that kids don't get forgotten about and eventually that kids could get the protection that they deserve. Caleb kind of mentioned. It seemed like a really got an opportunity because, you know, he had gone through so many months at that point of virtual school and a lot of his activities were disrupted. He wasn't seeing his friends as often as he really wanted to. And, and you know, at age 12, you're kind of at the point where you're wanting to, to do something yourself, you know, you want to be able to take control and, and make your mark on the world. And this seemed like a really good opportunity. I got my own shot through the hospital where I work. And then I got my second shot in January,
Pamela Kirkland 5:28
You're both now vaccinated. What are you looking forward to doing? Any fun summer plans?
Caleb Chung 5:34
Yeah, I think in like July, we're going to go on two different vacations with our family. And I'm really excited for that. And then they'll be like, protected, and safe during that traveling. And also getting back to school in the fall and getting to do my extracurricular activities. Like, I'm doing cello and I was doing jujitsu, but obviously, it's a lot more difficult and hard online. So I'm really excited to go back in person, and they'll be really fun and also getting to see my friends more and just having the safety and protection that the vaccine provides will really open up new opportunities.
Pamela Kirkland 6:18
That's very cool. And Caleb, do you have any advice for kids who may be on the fence about getting the vaccine or who are nervous about taking the Pfizer vaccine?
Caleb Chung 6:28
Well, it definitely depends on like, what their past experience with vaccines has been, like, if they just but I would just say that if they choose to take the vaccine, I think that'd be a wise choice because they can really, I believe, personally that can really protect you and can really give you an extra layer of safety between you and the Coronavirus. And it will and I know there's like a lot of things that are opening up where if you are vaccinated, then you get to do more like in person things without masks. So I think that would be a pretty cool motivation for people who are not that confident in the vaccine.
Pamela Kirkland 7:15
Well, thank you both so much for taking the time to talk to us and educate everyone on what the vaccine is and what the experiences are around it. So thank you again, and we'll we'll check in with you guys soon.
Dr. Chung 7:27
Thanks for having us. Thank you.
Bethany Van Delft 7:29
Without brave kids like Caleb, we wouldn't have a vaccine today. Thank you, Caleb. And now for some current headlines.
Today is the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death, a black man who was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His death sparked protests and outrage around the world about police brutality against black people, their memorials and events plans around the country and in Minneapolis, the George Floyd Memorial plans to honor and remember him with a celebration. Gotta catch them all?Maybe not. Some stores have stopped selling Pokemon cards. Already the cards were in short supply because of the pandemic, but long lines and empty shelves have caused so many fights at places like Target and Walmart that the stores decided to remove them from the shelves all together. One of the newest chess champions is also one of the top players in the world and he's only 10 years old.
A Kid 8:50
That's incredible.
Bethany Van Delft 8:51
Tanitoluwa Adewumi from New York just earned the title of national chess master. June is the month to get proud. Pride Month kicks off in June. There'll be parades, festivities, rallies happening all over the country, celebrating the LGBTQ community and promoting dignity, equal rights, self affirmation, as well as increasing society's awareness of the issues the community faces. Here are The Ten we are so excited to celebrate with stories all month long.
All right, it's time for:
Sound Bit 9:33
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 9:36
Trivia on The Ten. Vaccines have shown us how powerful science can be and how your body reacts to different things. What can eating a blue muffin tell you about yourself? Is it A) how smart you are B) the sensitivity of your tastebuds or C) the health of your gut microbes?
Did you guess it? The answer is C, the health of your gut microbes. A company and a group of scientists recently started something called the blue-poo project. It is what you think it is. It works like this. Eat two muffins colored blue with food coloring, and wait for them to come out the other end. Yeah, scientists say that the transit time from eating the muffin to when you see blue poo can tell a lot about the health of the microscopic things living in your digestive system called your microbiome. your microbiome is made up of bacteria, fungi and other teeny tiny microbes. While that might sound gross, your microbiome is important for keeping you healthy. To participate in the blue poo project, grab an adult and head to bluepoopchallenge.com. Track your transit times and learn more about the super science in action. Times up but before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for our new episodes Tuesdays, Thursdays and extras on Saturdays. You can go deeper into today's stories by visiting thetennews.com. The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and it's distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten New's creative team is baking up some blue breakfast foods and includes Kate Hale, Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Jenner Pascua, and Sarah Olender. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. Pamela Kirkland contributed to this episode. I'm Bethany Van Delft, and thanks for listening to The Ten News. Whatever you do, do not send us pictures of your blue poo project. Okay, over and out.
