Sen. Steve Daines and his wife participated in Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine trial and tested positive for antibodies, he announced.
Daines (R-Mont.) made the revelation in a statement released Wednesday in which he said he got involved in the effort in late summer to help “build confidence” in taking a vaccine.
“Back in August, I got a call from my mom telling me how Pfizer was looking for people to enroll in their COVID-19 vaccine trial right in my hometown of Bozeman. Thanks to that call, my sweet wife Cindy and I decided to go online and enroll in the trial — joining over 100 everyday Montanans participating. While this was a blind trial, I have since tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies,” the Republican said.
A blind trial occurs when only the scientists administering a test know which treatments are being given to which participants, meaning Daines does not know if he received the vaccine or a placebo.
Daines, who was re-elected to his Senate seat earlier this month, went on to explain his motivations for getting involved.
“My goal is to help build confidence and trust for Montanans and the American people wondering if they should take the vaccine when it is approved. This is about saving lives,” he stated, adding that he hoped to help with “restoring normalcy into our way of life.”
“Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve made the research, development and manufacturing of a COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic drugs a top priority because I believe in order to get back to normal, we need a safe and effective vaccine,” the Montana senator continued.
Daines went on to state that while he did not believe a vaccine should be mandated, he would encourage everyone to take it once it’s available.
His announcement comes after Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced that their COVID-19 vaccine was 95 percent effective and that it would be submitted for regulatory approval in a matter of days.
Daines’ colleague Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced this week that he too was participating in a vaccine trial, in his case with Johnson & Johnson.