Five participants in trials for two leading candidates for coronavirus vaccines have reported experiencing harsh side effects as a result of the shot, including fever, chills, aches, headaches, and fatigue, CNBC reported.
Three of the participants took part in the Moderna pharmaceutical company’s trials, while two took part in late-stage trials for Pfizer’s vaccine.
The side effects began after the participants received the second shot.
According to the participants, while the effects were intense, they typically went away after a day. They further said that the discomfort caused by the vaccine is worth it if the shots protect them from the coronavirus.
“If this proves to work, people are going to have to toughen up,” one participant told CNBC.
Four of the five participants refused to be identified.
Infectious disease specialist Florian Krammer of New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital wrote on Twitter that the side effects of Moderna’s vaccine are “unpleasant but not dangerous.”
Last week, Moderna reported that its vaccine would not be ready for FDA approval until after the US Presidential Elections next month.
Rich countries could be back to close to normal by late 2021 if a COVID-19 vaccine works, Bill Gates said on Tuesday.