ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pharmaceutical companies across the world are in a sprint to create an effective COVID-19 vaccine.

What You Need To Know

  • Nick Casale volunteered for the AstraZenica COVID-19 vaccine trial

  • There was a 70% chance he got the real vaccine and not a placebo

  • Considering the flu-like symptoms he got after the shot, Casale believes he got the real thing

To test them out, they need people like Nick Casale willing to participate in trials.

We caught up with Casale, his wife Stephanie, and their 9-month-old son Nico at the Saturday Market in St. Petersburg.

The trio was enjoying the morning sightseeing, taste-testing, and picking up their Thanksgiving turkey. 

Getting outside is a good thing, but they take their family’s health very seriously.

Nick is a medical professional who travels a lot for work, and says he wants to do his part to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“So I’m in the AstraZeneca AZD1222 clinical trial to test COVID vaccine,” he said.

There was a 70% chance he’d get the real vaccine and a 30% chance he’d get the placebo.

“I started to get a mild headache and that progressed into pretty bad muscle pain in my legs," he said. "It felt like I had the flu basically."

The headache, though, was gone the next day.

“I definitely think I got the real thing,” Casale said.

He says his wife Stephanie was the real MVP.

“Oh my gosh I couldn’t have done it without her," he said. "She took care of me the entire time."

Fighting COVD-19 is something Stephanie saw first hand with her own parents.

They’re doing well, but it still hits too close to home.

“This is us doing our part to help proceed with a vaccine and hopefully kill this virus soon,” she said.

Nick got the vaccine, but it was a family decision and the next step after masks and distancing.

“For 12 hours, to ensure that you’re protected from this horrible virus, it just helps the better public good because you’re not just protecting yourself but you’re protecting those around you,” Nick said.

As they get ready for Thanksgiving dinner with their parents, they can rest easy believing their holiday will be a safe one.

Nick still has a while to go in the trial.

He goes back in a few months for a booster and will have blood draws for the next two years to make sure he has antibodies for COVID-19 and hasn’t contracted the virus.