BOSTON, Massachusetts — Fall 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show some people experienced side effects after taking the Moderna vaccine, with some requiring a trip to the hospital. Yet, some who have experienced those side effects say they’d take the vaccine all over again if it meant being protected from COVID-19.

CDC research indicates reactions fall into two groups: local or systemic. Local reactions, specifically to the Moderna vaccine, include pain and swelling at the injection site. Systemic reactions include more serious side effects including fever, chills, and nausea.

Those are the symptoms Ricardo Holguin, a Texas native living in Boston, experienced after receiving his first dose in late December. Twelve hours later, he began to feel ill and cold, even while wearing layers of clothing.

“I was still very, very cold. It was chills and it wasn't clicking to me because you know previous vaccines that I've taken, you know, it wasn't like this,” he said.

Data from the CDC shows that while systemic reactions are generally mild to moderate, some vaccine recipients have reported more severe reactions. Holguin said he vigilantly monitored his symptoms, but didn’t feel an emergency room trip was necessary.

“The symptoms for the first dose lasted about 36 hours...then the morning, when I woke up at around 9:30, I just felt lethargic and a headache. The headache lingered for about four days," he said.

He says he felt less intense side effects after the second dose, but insists that in spite of what he calls strong pains and chills he feels a sense of relief.

“I’m not saying people should not take it. I think everybody should take it. I prefer what I took or what I had over like a two week course, a three week course, you know...over how long the symptoms last for COVID,” he said.

His journey wasn’t easy, but he says for him the benefits outweigh the risks.