NORTH CANTON, Ohio — On Monday, following the announcement from Pfizer that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate has an efficacy rate above 90%, a North Canton man participating in the trial shared his experience with News 5.
Steve Tirrell, who is a Pfizer vaccine trial participant, said he got a mild headache and felt a little hungover both times he received the dose, which consists of a two-shot regimen.
“I had some mild, mild, mild side effects the day after the shot, both times, but other than that, it's been great,” he said.
Tirrell hasn’t been told if he received the vaccine or the placebo, but he said he did have blood work done, and it showed he had positive antibodies.
He shared a message for anyone unsure about getting the vaccine when it’s available.
“If you want to get back to normal life, go get the vaccine,” Tirrell said. “They are not taking shortcuts. They are just doing this in an expedient fashion. They are doing all the things they would normally do in sequence all at the same time.”
Pfizer said it is now increasing production, but getting the vaccine to the general population won’t be easy, as it has to be stored and shipped in freezers that can keep the medicine around 94 degrees below zero.
UPS said it’s building freezer farms, and FedEx is adding freezers and refrigerated trucks to its fleet.
RELATED: Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine candidate is 90% effective
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Rebound Northeast Ohio News 5's initiative to help people through the financial impact of the coronavirus by offering one place to go for information on everything available to help and how to access it. We're providing resources on:
Getting Back to Work - Learn about the latest job openings, how to file for benefits and succeed in the job market.
Making Ends Meet - Find help on topics from rent to food to new belt-tightening techniques.
Managing the Stress - Feeling isolated or frustrated? Learn ways to connect with people virtually, get counseling or manage your stress.
Doing What's Right - Keep track of the way people are spending your tax dollars and treating your community.
We're Open! Northeast Ohio is place created by News 5 to open us up to new ways of thinking, new ways of gathering and new ways of supporting each other.
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Ohio, a timeline of Governor Mike DeWine's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Northeast Ohio, and link to more information from the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the CDC and the WHO.
See data visualizations showing the impact of coronavirus in Ohio, including county-by-county maps, charts showing the spread of the disease, and more.
The CDC and the Ohio Department of Health are now recommending the use of cloth face coverings in public to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Read more about the CDC's recommendation here. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a face maskfrom common household materials, without having to know how to sew.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
