COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs | Cleveland Clinic

The COVID-19 vaccines have been determined to be safe and effective. All vaccines must go through rigorous clinical trials to determine safety and efficacy, and no safety shortcuts were taken as they were developed.

As with many vaccines, you may be sore where its injected. You may also develop fatigue, fever and muscle aches afterward. This seems to be more common with the second dose of vaccine. If this happens, it means your immune system is taking notice of the vaccine and reacting.

No vaccines are 100% effective. In fact, breakthrough cases (when someone tests positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after they're fully vaccinated) are expected. Breakthrough infections are more common in indoor settings with large groups of people, the elderly and in individuals with compromised immune systems. However, the vaccines greatly reduce the risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.For more information on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

No. Allergic reactions, including shortness of breath and hives, were uncommon during COVID-19 vaccine trials. All recipients receiving the vaccine will be monitored for at least 15 minutes after vaccination for possible immediate hypersensitive reactions. If you have a history of allergic reactions to vaccines, talk to your healthcare provider before receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

In the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson clinical trials, the vaccines were very effective with only mild side effects that are common in all vaccines. These include fever, fatigue, muscle aches and headache.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses DNA from the COVID-19 spike protein into a virus called an adenovirus (the type of virus that typically causes colds) instead of mRNA. You only need to get one dose instead of two. In the phase 3 clinical trial, the vaccine was shown to be 66% effective in preventing moderate and severe COVID-19 disease 28 days after vaccination. Overall, the vaccine was also 85% effective in preventing hospitalization and 100% effective in preventing death, 28 days after vaccination.

Vaccinating your child is their best line of defense against catching COVID-19. Children can become severely ill from acute COVID-19 or from multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) a prolonged illness caused by COVID-19, which affects multiple organs. Children can also transmit the virus to someone else, so its important that they get vaccinated.

Similar to the first authorized COVID-19 vaccines for adults, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines went through rigorous testing and analysis to determine their safety and effectiveness in children ages 6 months and up before they were made available to them. Because childrens immune systems are different than adults and change as they age, vaccines are tested and approved for different age groups.

Pfizer and Moderna's pediatric vaccines for ages 5 and up are given in two doses, 21 days apart (Pfizer) or one month apart (Moderna). For children under 5 who are eligible, the Pfizer vaccine is given in three doses, the first two doses 21 days apart, followed by a third dose at least 2 months after the second dose. Moderna's pediatric vaccine for children under age 5 is two doses, given one month apart. However, the Pfizer and Moderna pediatric vaccines both have a smaller dose than those for ages 12 and older.

Medical trials involving children follow strict protocols to ensure their safety. Find answers from our pediatricians to your pressing questions about vaccinating your children under five.

Based on current research and safety data, the CDC recommends that women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant be vaccinated against COVID-19. We encourage you to talk to your Ob/Gyn if you have questions or concerns about getting vaccinated.

We still recommend that you get the vaccine even if youve had COVID-19. However, you may consider waiting 90 days after getting infected as its not common to get COVID-19 again within three months of first being infected.

COVID-19 vaccines are working to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death. However, public health experts are starting to see a decrease in protection from the disease over time. A booster dose increases your protection against getting infected and experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

The FDA and CDC have authorized receiving a booster dose of a different vaccine brand than your initial vaccine brand. For example, if you received an initial dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you can receive a Pfizer or Moderna booster dose.

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COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs | Cleveland Clinic