Currently, three vaccines are authorized and recommended
for use in the United States to help prevent COVID-19.
They are Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective
at reducing your risk of severe illness from from COVID-19.
CDC does not recommend one vaccine over another.
In general, you should get the first COVID-19 vaccine
that is available to you.
Vaccines are designed to work with the body’s immune system
to build protection against or immunity to the virus.
The body’s immune response produces antibodies.
These antibodies help protect us from getting infected
if the virus that causes COVID-19 enters our bodies.
The vaccines currently available in the United States
fall into two categories of vaccine types:
messenger RNA, which is abbreviated as mRNA, and
viral vector vaccines.
Both types of vaccines are effective.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines
are messenger RNA, or mRNA vaccines.
mRNA vaccines teach cells in our bodies how
to make a harmless piece of what is called the “spike protein.”
The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus
that causes COVID-19.
If you are exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19
after you are fully vaccinated, your body will recognize it
and know how to fight it.
Facts about COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines
The mRNA vaccines do not contain any live virus,
so they cannot give you COVID-19.
The vaccines cannot change
your DNA in any way.
After the mRNA delivers instructions to your body,
your cells break down the mRNA and get rid of it.
Who Can Get mRNA Vaccines and -How Many Shots Are Needed?
At the time this video was produced -– June 14th, 2021—
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was recommended
for people 12 years and older. It requires 2 shots, which are given 21 days or 3 weeks apart.
The Moderna vaccine is recommended for people 18 years and older.
It requires 2 shots, which are given 28 days or 4 weeks apart.
You are considered fully vaccinated
2 weeks after your second shot of either vaccine.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines
have been shown to reduce the risk of COVID-19,
including severe illness, among people
who are fully vaccinated by 90 percent or more.
Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine is a viral vector vaccine.
A viral vector vaccine uses a harmless version of a different virus,
called a “vector,” to deliver information to the body that helps it protect you.
This type of COVID-19 vaccine also teaches
your body how to make copies of the spike protein.
If you are exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19
after you are fully vaccinated,
your body will recognize it and know how to fight it.
Facts about Viral Vector COVID-19 Vaccine:
The vaccine does not contain the live virus that causes COVID-19
and cannot give you COVID-19.
It also cannot make you sick
from the virus that is used as the vector.
The vaccine cannot change your DNA in any way.
Who Should Get Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Vaccine and How Many Shots Are Needed?
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine
is recommended for people 18 years and older.
It requires only 1 shot.
You are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after your shot.
People, especially women younger than 50 years old,
should be aware of the rare risk of blood clots with low platelets
after receiving a J&J Janssen vaccination.
They should also know that other COVID-19 vaccines
are available for which the risk of this condition has not been seen.
This type of blood clot with low platelets is rare, for women younger than 50 years old.
For women 50 years and older and men of all ages, it is even more rare.
For 3 weeks after receiving the vaccine,
you should be on the lookout for possible symptoms
of a blood clot with low platelets.
These include: Severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision,
Shortness of breath, Chest pain,
Leg swelling, Persistent abdominal pain,
Easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin
beyond the injection site.
Seek medical care right away
if you develop one or more of these symptoms.
After receiving any of the COVID-19 vaccines,
you could have some side effects, but not everyone does.
If you don’t have side effects, don’t worry.
The vaccine is still working.
Side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection.
The side effects from COVID-19 vaccination
may affect your ability to do daily activities,
and they should go away within a few days.
Common side effects include pain, redness, or swelling
on the arm where you got the shot.
Throughout the rest of your body you may feel:
Tiredness, Headache, Muscle pain,
Chills, Fever, Or nausea.
A small number of people have had severe allergic reactions,
but this is extremely rare.
For information on the safety of the vaccines, see the CDC ASL video,
Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe?
on the CDC YouTube channel.
In general, you should get the first COVID-19 vaccine that is available to you.
Don’t wait for a specific brand.
All currently authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines
are safe and effective, and CDC does not recommend one vaccine over another.
If you get a vaccine that requires 2 shots,
it is very important to get the second shot,
so that you are fully vaccinated and get the most protection.
When you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities
without wearing a mask or physically distancing,
except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial
laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
For information on what you can do when you are fully vaccinated,
see the ASL video,
When Fully Vaccinated, on the CDC YouTube Channel.
For more ASL videos on COVID-19,
including information on COVID-19 Variants,
V-safe After Vaccination Health Checker,
and How to Talk about COVID-19 Vaccines with Friends and Family,
go to the CDC YouTube channel.
This ASL Video was produced in June 2021.