Volunteers face 'severe hangover', headache and pain after getting Pfizer vaccine shot

After Pfizer's claim that the COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, a few volunteers said that they suffered side effects comparable to a flu jab, with one comparing them to "a severe hangover".

Around 43,500 people in six countries have taken part in the phase three trial run by the pharmaceutical giant and its partner BioNTech.

One of the volunteers of the trial, Texas lobbyist Glenn Deshields compared side effects of the shot as being similar to "a severe hangover" whereas another one, 45-year old Carrie said that she went through fever, body aches and headache after the second shot. 

Carrie also said that signing up for the trial was a “civic duty” and said Monday’s positive news left her feeling “very proud”.She said that 'There are so many people who have had it and suffered.'She had received her first shot back in September and her second last month.

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech said they had found no serious safety concerns yet and expected to seek U.S. emergency use authorization this month, raising the chance of a regulatory decision as soon as December.

If granted, the companies estimate they can roll out up to 50 million doses this year, enough to protect 25 million people, and then produce up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.

The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine uses messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which relies on synthetic genes that can be generated and manufactured in weeks and produced at scale more rapidly than conventional vaccines. The technology is designed to trigger an immune response without using pathogens, such as actual virus particles.

(With inputs from agencies)