INDIANAPOLIS — A COVID-19 vaccine can't come soon enough. Three vaccines are expected to request emergency approval.
A Plainfield man is part of the massive effort underway to test one of those drugs. Greg Nus said he "wanted to be part of something to save the world."
When drug maker Moderna went looking for 30,000 volunteers to test its experimental vaccine, Nus signed up.
"This affects everybody," Nus said. "We are all in this together, so I had no problems stepping up to the plate."
Or in this case, stepping up to the syringe — two times for shots in the arm a few weeks apart.
"I just felt this was the ultimate contribution to society that could potentially help millions of people," he said.
Nus received the shots in late summer, when less was known about the experimental vaccine.
The 55-year-old father of two teenagers said his family supported his decision but admitted his girlfriend thought he was crazy.
Nus said he wasn't at all scared during the process. He said he is 99 percent certain he received the actual vaccine and not a placebo. He described what happened after he received his second shot.
"Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up. I had some chills. I didn't feel quite right," Nus said. "I took my temperature and it was just slightly elevated, and I took some ibuprofen and went right back to sleep and everything was fine."
He's been fine ever since.
Moderna recently announced initial test results showing its vaccine is safe and 95 percent effective against the coronavirus. Nus called it great news.
"There is a way to prevent this virus from spreading and others getting sick," he said. "I think we all want to get back to normal, and I am all for it."
Moderna will monitor Nus' health for two years. If given emergency approval from the federal government, the vaccine could be available for use by mid-December.
(Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Greg Nus' last name as "Max.")