COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ

• Scientists have been developing this technology for years and were able to apply it to the COVID-19 vaccine.
• The vaccines contain a fragment of the virus (mRNA) that provides a blueprint used by our cells to make a protein from the virus. Our immune system makes antibodies to that protein, providing protection from infection by the virus.
• Rigorous review process,
• Large randomized, double-blind  placebo-controlled trials (the gold standard of clinical trials). Pfizer- 44,000 people (40% people of color); Moderna- 30,000 people (35% people of color).

• 95% effective for preventing symptomatic infection; prevents severe disease and death.
• You’re part of the solution! Vaccines are most effective in reducing virus spread when combined with public health measures until herd/population immunity is achieved.
  • Herd/population immunity is expected to be achieved when 70-80% of the population have received the vaccine or recovered from natural infection.

• No. It was a 15-year project to create the technology used for these vaccines.
• The same number of people were included in these clinical trials as for any other vaccine.
• Both vaccines were reviewed by several independent panels of scientists, biostatisticians and ethicists who had no vested interest, including civil servants and university-affiliated scientists who were involved at the federal and state levels:
  • Every trial is required to have a Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) which is a panel of independent experts with no conflicts of interest.
  • When submitted to the FDA, an independent advisory panel of national experts, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee reviews the data and makes a recommendation to the FDA.
  • FDA career professionals then make a decision regarding an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), based on extensive data submitted by the manufacturer of the product and the recommendation of the vaccine advisory committee of experts.

• First dose primes the immune system and the second dose boosts to give high-level protection.
• Two doses given three weeks (Pfizer) and four weeks (Moderna) apart
• Other vaccines are in development that would only require one shot.

• At this time, it is not known for sure that vaccination eliminates the ability to get and spread the virus asymptomatically. The Phase 3 trials were designed to identify symptomatic disease and death.
• Additionally, the vaccines are proven to be over 90% effective, so a chance still remains you could get it.
• When we reach heard immunity, this will likely change.

• Yes! No adverse effects of vaccination occurred in the trials in individuals who recovered from COVID. Since it is not known how strong and how long protection from natural infection will last, and there have been cases of reinfection, getting vaccinated is recommended because it will further enhance your level of protection.
• Those who have recovered from coronavirus infection may opt to wait until after 3 months to allow vaccine to be available to others.

Yes, having this extra protection against the respiratory illness will help you avoid the possibility of having a severe reaction to COVID-19 when you are pregnant.

Yes, early research suggests that pregnant women with COVID-19 may be at increased risk for severe illness compared to non-pregnant women. Pregnant women with SARS CoV 2 infection are 3x more likely to require ICU admission than their non-pregnant counterparts. The prevalence of ICU admission was 10.5% for pregnant women and 3.9% for non-pregnant women. 

Yes, theoretical concerns regarding the safety of vaccinating lactating individuals do not outweigh the potential benefits of receiving the vaccine. There is no need to avoid initiation or discontinue breastfeeding if you receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Allergic reactions are unlikely, but even if an allergic reaction occurred it would be unlikely to impact reproductive function unless prolonged and severe. 

There are no known nor suspected side effects from COVID-19 vaccination on reproductive organs. There is no evidence that vaccination by itself interferes with the brain message to reproductive organs. 

Getting COVID-19 may impact reproductive health by multiple mechanisms, but no studies have been done yet to investigate this aspect. 

It is much more likely that getting COVID-19 will harm your fertility than getting vaccinated.  Even those at very low risk of getting COVID-19 are still much more likely to benefit from vaccination than waiting.  This is because the vaccinations – there are currently only two – are already proving to be very safe. 

In the history of vaccines for other diseases, the overwhelming instances of side effects or problems from vaccination have become apparent with 4 weeks of vaccination. The CDC is following the short- and long-term outcomes of both trial participants, as well as anyone who is vaccinated through the V-safe smartphone app.

Whether a booster is needed in the future depends on the duration and strength of the immune response from vaccination (and that is being assessed in follow-up studies), and whether virus variants emerge that are resistant to the present vaccine.  The good news is that the mRNA vaccine platform is very easily modified if need be. Also, as other vaccines are made available, there may be  consideration of mixing vaccines as we learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.