TAMPA, Fla. — A Bay Area man said he’s thrilled to hear the news that the Pfizer vaccine is 90% effective because he’s one of the 40,000 people who participated in the trial. 

Mike Hammonds said the decision was easy for him to take part in the vaccine trial.

“I started googling what vaccine trials were gonna be in the area and that was the one," he said. "Luckily Pfizer was the one that was here in the area."

Hammonds detailed the months-long process. 

“I went online, filled out a form and then I got a phone interview from somebody asking some brief medical questions, and then after that they scheduled me for my first interview in person, health screening,” he said.

Then came the shots, and Hammonds said he panicked a litle just before getting them.

“I kinda freaked out a little bit at the last minute once I was driving to go get it, but once I got there I was like you know what, It’s like any other vaccine, (I) can’t be afraid of it,” he said.

So he got the first shot.

“I got the first shot in August," he said. "And then you do the second shot 30 days later."

Then several tests followed. Hammonds said he felt fine until that second shot.

That let him know he got the real thing and not the placebo.

“I thought it was just like a booster shot and it was gonna be like last time," he said. "I would get mild flu like symptoms for a couple hours then soreness in muscles and that’s it. But it was pretty extreme. But the problem was it was so sharp and so fast and then it was gone just as quick."

Even with those short-lived, intense symptoms, Hammonds said he’d do it again to be a part of this history making vaccine. 

“When I was doing this I told everybody I was doing this and they’re like, 'Oh, you’re crazy, you’re crazy,'  and now that this hit the news and it’s 90% effective and now everybody’s like, 'Oh, how was it? Tell me about it,' You know?” he said.