COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs

Yes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given its full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for everyone over the age of 16, citing the most evidence it had ever received to determine the safety of a drug. The FDA states that as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product.

Additionally, all three vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson – are still available to everyone aged 12 and older under the FD's Emergency Use Authorization from earlier this year. During a public health emergency, the FDA uses a process called "Emergency Use Authorization" for therapy and vaccine approvals if specific criteria are met. These criteria were met for COVID-19. For COVID-19 vaccines, the FDA expects specific information to be available to ensure vaccines will be safe and effective before they are approved for the public’s use. Most notably, in the clinical trial phases, the vaccine should be 50% or more effective in preventing individuals from getting COVID-19 compared to others who did not receive the vaccine. Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines demonstrated efficacy rates of 94–95% and received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA.

Not immediately. The goal is for people to start receiving a COVID-19 booster shot beginning in the fall, with individuals being eligible starting 8 months after they received their second dose of an mRNA vaccine (either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). This is subject to authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommendation by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

No. These vaccines use mRNA (messenger RNA) technology. mRNA is a single molecule that gives cells instructions on how to create an immune response. Once the cell creates the immune response, the mRNA molecule is destroyed by the cell.

Yes. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are not developed using egg-based technology. Therefore, egg protein is not used in these vaccines.

None of the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines contain fetal tissue. Pfizer and Moderna use technologies derived from earlier work using this material, but neither of them has used this material in the production of their actual COVID-19 vaccines. Johnson & Johnson scientists use this material to grow the virus used in its vaccine. The material is included in the process used for development and production, but the final product does not include fetal tissue.

Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two-doses, the second dose 21–28 days after the first, depending on which vaccine you receive in the first dose. It is very important that you get BOTH doses for the vaccine to be effective. There are some vaccines on the horizon that will require only one dose.

As with other vaccines, you may experience soreness at the injection site, fatigue, achiness or headache the day after receiving the vaccine. The second dose may result in more pronounced side effects. Should an individual experience side effects following either the first or second dose, acetaminophen or ibuprofen may help. Recent reports of allergic reactions to one of the vaccines in California found the incident to be isolated and that the vaccine remains safe. There were no patients in the COVID-19 vaccine trials that experienced a serious safety event or reaction related to the vaccine.

Vaccines are the most effective and accessible tools to slowing the transmission of disease and eradicating it. The faster and more widespread distribution of a vaccine in a community, the faster we can end the pandemic and return to a more normal way of life.

Initial supplies go to health care workers and other high-risk groups, such as the elderly and those with certain health conditions such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, pulmonary disease and immunosuppressed conditions. As supplies increase over the coming weeks and months, vaccines will be available to the general population. The overall goal is that all individuals have access within a few months of their availability.

Initially, vaccines will likely be available to the general population only through hospitals and dedicated vaccination sites. As supplies get more plentiful, you should also be able to get a vaccine at BMG Primary Care Clinics and local retail pharmacies (e.g., Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS, etc.). Check with your state and local health departments for updates on availability and phases of distribution.

Baptist has begun distribution of CDC and Health and Human Services-approved vaccines. During the initial phase, we will follow CDC guidelines for distribution, giving priority to our frontline workers and patients who are high-risk for the COVID-19 infection. As supplies increase, we will be able to make the vaccine available to the general public.

There is not enough information yet to know if we will need to take a vaccine every year or at some other interval. As we move forward through the vaccination process and learn more about this disease, we will learn more about the vaccines’ range of effectiveness.

As with the seasonal flu vaccine, there is a small chance a person could still get COVID-19 even after receiving a vaccine. However, it is likely the symptoms will be less severe than the symptoms for someone who has not been vaccinated.

People who are pregnant and part of a group recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine may choose to be vaccinated. While no data are available yet on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating women or on the effects of mRNA vaccines on breastfed infants or on milk production/excretion, mRNA vaccines are not thought to be a risk to breastfeeding infants.

Pregnant people are encouraged to enroll in v-safe, CDC’s new smartphone-based tool being used to check-in on people’s health after they receive a COVID-19 vaccine. If pregnant people report health events through v-safe after vaccination, someone from CDC may call to check on them and get more information. Additionally, pregnant people enrolled in v-safe will be contacted by CDC and asked to participate in a pregnancy registry that will monitor them through pregnancy and the first 3 months of infancy. For more information on v-safe, visit the CDC.gov website.

CDC recommends that people with a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injectable medications—such as food, pet, venom, environmental, or latex allergies—get vaccinated. People with a history of allergies to oral medications or a family history of severe allergic reactions may also get vaccinated. If you have had an immediate allergic reaction—even if it was not severe—to a vaccine or injectable therapy for another disease, ask your doctor if you should get a COVID-19 vaccine. Your doctor will help you decide if it is safe for you to get vaccinated.

You should get your second dose even if you get COVID-19 after getting your first shot. If you do get COVID-19, you should isolate yourself, get tested and contact your healthcare provider. Once you have recovered and are symptom free, you should make sure to get the second shot as scheduled. You may still benefit from it and be better protected for the future.