East Tennessee doctor takes part in Moderna vaccine trial

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - An East Tennessee doctor said he’s trying to set a good example for his patients by taking part in a Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine trial.

Dr. Theo Hensley, of Greeneville, said he hasn’t had any symptoms after getting the first shot three weeks ago. There’s a 50 percent chance he was given a placebo.

Hensley said he got involved with the study to help people understand the process and save lives. So far, Moderna said its vaccine has been 94.5 percent effective.

“To be honest, it’s been incredibly exhausting. Over the past nine months, there’s been such an explosion of misinformation out there that I wanted to be a voice for people to be able to look and say, ‘Okay, well, he’s vouched for this and vetted the material, and that’s something that I can trust,' and I think it’s incredibly important to have trusted voices, especially locally, to be able to get information from," Hensley said.

Hensley said he understands people are skeptical about a new vaccine, but once it’s approved, Hensley said it will have gone through protocols to be safe.

“Vaccination is going to be the key to help us live and travel and have as normal of a life as we can. As far as safety goes, once again, there’s a process that looks into all that,” he said.

Hensley is scheduled to get his second shot Friday.

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