'Excited to help out': Minnesotan starts AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial
Greg Kjos took a selfie to commemorate his first day in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial. (Greg Kjos / FOX 9)
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - Many COVID-19 vaccine trials are in development, including one that’s running a trial right now in Minnesota.
In September, HealthPartners recruited 1,500 people to take part in AstraZeneca’s Phase 3 trial. For those participating, it’s an opportunity to be part of history, but for Greg Kjos of St. Louis Park, it’s also personal.
“My brother was just diagnosed with COVID yesterday,” said Kjos. “Fortunately, it seems to be a light case of it.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Kjos has done his part to slow the spread by staying in and masking up. For the 58-year-old, however, all of that just didn’t feel like enough.
“Mostly, I was thinking about my family,” said Kjos. “My mom and dad, who are in their 80s, and we’ve only gotten to see them a handful of times this summer.”
After reading about the AstraZeneca vaccine trial in the paper a few months ago, he signed up to be part of a vaccine clinical trial. Monday, he got his first dose, documenting the moment with a selfie. While he doesn’t know if he got the vaccine or a placebo, he says he’s more excited than he is nervous.
“If it doesn’t work, chances are I’m probably no worse off than I was before,” said Kjos.
Kjos says his wife was his main inspiration for signing up. Not only is she asthmatic and diabetic, since the start of the pandemic she has sewn around 5,000 masks for healthcare workers.
“Between the two of us, we’ve been really excited to help out,” he said.
He’s also excited to be a part of the one thing health experts say will lead the country back to normalcy.
“My wife and I like to go and have dinners and we miss our happy hour and it will be nice to open up businesses again and be able to go out and get life back to normal,” Kjos.
“If this helps, I’m happy to do it,” he added.