Covid-19 Vaccine

Currently there are four vaccines available. Two of them are mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. 

The third vaccine is Janssen which is made by Johnson & Johnson and is a viral vector vaccine. 

The fourth is the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted. This vaccine is for individuals 18 years of age and older for whom an FDA-authorized mRNA bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine is not accessible or clinically appropriate.

The technology for these types of vaccines (mRNA vaccines) has been in development for other viruses for over 10 years. 

Vaccines usually take much longer to develop, mostly because vaccines are not a big money-maker for pharmaceutical companies, and there is no guaranteed market.  In this case, the pharmaceutical companies were aided by infusions of money upfront, and knew that they had millions of people waiting for a vaccine. 

Vaccines undergo four phases of trials to be approved by the FDA.  The testing did NOT skip any steps for assessing safety.  Social media and the pandemic motivated many people to volunteer for trials.  And since the virus is so widespread, volunteers were exposed to the virus sooner than usually occurs (usually when you are testing a vaccine, researchers have to wait a longer time for the volunteer to be exposed to the virus in order to know if the vaccine works).

The vaccine is completely free of animal tissue – no fetal tissue, no egg particles, no animal cells.

No. It is not possible for the COVID-19 vaccine to cause COVID disease.  There are no viral particles in the vaccine. 

You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Most of the time they are very minor, like pain at the injection site, muscle aches, fever or headache.  

People with severe allergies should consult their PCPs regarding vaccination.  However, allergies to the ingredients of the vaccine are not common.

Getting COVID-19 might offer some natural protection or immunity from reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19. But it’s not clear how long this protection lasts. Because reinfection is possible and COVID-19 can cause severe medical complications, it’s recommended that people who have already had COVID-19 get a COVID-19 vaccine. If you’ve had COVID-19, wait until 90 days after your diagnosis to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Yes, masking and physical distancing will continue to be critical tools in preventing transmission until a large percentage of the population is vaccinated and we have more information about long-term protection.