Is there a cost to get vaccinated?,
No fees will be charged for the COVID-19 vaccine. However, vaccine providers will be able to charge administration fees for giving or administering the shot to someone. Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.
Can any doctor’s office, clinic, or pharmacy offer the COVID-19 vaccine?,
Doctor’s offices, clinics, and pharmacies who are enrolled in the vaccination program can offer the vaccine when the vaccine becomes available to them.
Find locations offering COVID-19 vaccinations near you: https://vaccinefinder.org/search/
Is the vaccine safe?,
The process used to approve the COVID-19 vaccines is the same proven process that was used to create safe and effective vaccines for the flu, polio, measles, whooping cough and more. While the COVID-19 vaccines were developed as quickly as possible, routine processes and procedures remain in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine authorized or approved for use.
More information about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine is available at the CDC’s website:
Does the vaccine have any side effects? ,
After COVID-19 vaccination, you may have some mild side effects. This is a normal sign that your body is building protection. The side effects from COVID-19 vaccination may feel like flu and might even affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Your arm may be sore, red, or warm to the touch. You may experience a low-grade fever, headache, and just a general feeling of “not yourself”. These are signs that your immune system is doing exactly what it is supposed to, which is produce an immune response for you to have protection against this disease.
How are side effects being tracked?
The CDC runs the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), a national system to detect any possible symptoms or side effects that occur after someone has had a vaccine. Anyone who has had a vaccine can report concerns to VAERS.
Can the vaccine give me a COVID-19 Infection?,
No. None of the COVID-19 vaccines in the United States use the live virus that causes COVID-19. The goal of vaccines is to teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.
It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. This means it is possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
Will I test positive for COVID-19 after getting the vaccine?,
No. Vaccines currently in clinical trials in the United States won’t cause you to test positive on viral tests, which are used to see if you have a current infection.
Will the mRNA vaccine alter my DNA? ,
No. mRNA stands for messenger ribonucleic acid and can most easily be described as instructions for how to make a protein or even just a piece of a protein. mRNA is not able to alter or modify a person’s genetic makeup (DNA). The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA are kept. This means the mRNA does not affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop protection (immunity) to disease.
Learn more about how COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work.
Will people who have already had COVID-19 be able to get vaccinated?,
Yes. People who have had COVID-19 can still get a vaccine. CDC recommends getting it after you have recovered. You should check with your health care provider if you have questions.
If you have recently had COVID-19,
you can receive the COVID-19 vaccine or a booster dose anytime after
you have receovered from your illness. You are considered recovered
after the following conditions have been met:
- 10 days have passed since your symptoms began, and
- 24 fever-free hours have passed without the use of fever-reducing medications, and
- Your other COVID-19 symptoms are improving.
If I already had COVID-19, should I get vaccinated? Shouldn’t I be immune?,
Yes, you should still get the COVID-19 vaccine, even if you have had COVID-19 illness. There is not enough information currently available to say if or for how long after infection someone is protected from getting COVID-19 again; this is called natural immunity. Early evidence suggests natural immunity from COVID-19 may not last very long, but more studies are needed to better understand this.
COVID-19 variants (new strains of the virus) can increase the risk of reinfection. Getting vaccinated or boosted after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against COVID-19 variants.
Where can I find more information?,
Additional resources:
Who is currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine? ,
Anyone over 6 months of age is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 booster doses are available for individuals over the age of 6 months.