COVID-19 Vaccines – National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Which COVID-19 vaccines are available in the United States?

As of February 2022, two COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and one has been authorized for emergency use.

Pfizer, Inc., and BioNTech BNT162b2:On August 23, 2021, the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine called Comirnaty for people age 16 and older. The vaccine is still available under emergency use authorization for children and teens 5 to 15 years old.View the infographic to see what is in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

ModernaTX, Inc., mRNA-1273:On January 31, 2022, the FDA approved this NIH-funded COVID-19 vaccine called Spikevax for people age 18 and older.View the infographic to see what is in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson:On February 27, 2021, theFDA authorized emergency useof this single-shot vaccine for people age 18 and older.Developed with support from NIH, this vaccine does not require special refrigeration.Women younger than 50 years old should be aware of therare risk of blood clotsafter vaccination.

Studies show that protection against SARS-CoV-2 begins to decrease over time after initial vaccine doses. Additional vaccine doses (booster vaccinations) provide longer-lasting protection against COVID-19.

The FDA has authorizedbooster vaccinations of all three COVID-19 vaccinesavailable in the United States. Theeligibility period for a booster doseis based on several factors, including which vaccine you originally received and how long it has been since you were fully vaccinated.

Eligible people can choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose this is known as heterologous ormix and match dosing. Based on data from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the FDA has determined that the benefits of mixing doses outweighs any known or potential risks.

Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines arevery effective in preventing COVID-19, even for people at high risk for the disease.

Sometimes people who are fully vaccinated get abreakthrough infection, meaning that they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or become ill with COVID-19. Fully vaccinated people areless likely to become seriously ill, even from COVID-19 variants.

Vaccines have very high safety standards, and COVID-19 vaccines are no exception.COVID-19 vaccines have undergone and will continue to undergo the mostintensive safety monitoringin U.S. history.

The timeline for creating COVID-19 vaccines was shorter than for other vaccines for many reasons, including:

NIH scientists have beenstudying mRNA vaccines and coronaviruses for decades. They had a head start because they already knew a lot about how mRNA vaccines work and how to make them.

Researchers, the federal government, and drug companiescame together like never beforeto cooperate and share resources, making the vaccine testing process more efficient.

NIH set up theCOVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN)to coordinate existing research networks and carry out large clinical trials in tens of thousands of people efficiently. Many Americans from diverse communities volunteered to participate in the studies.

The FDA analyzed data from the clinical trials right away.

The safety of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines is being tracked through theVaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a unique safety system calledv-safethat was established specifically for COVID-19 vaccines, and other systems. Vaccine manufacturers submit monthly safety updates to the FDA. The FDA also inspects vaccine production facilities and checks the quality of vaccine batches.

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COVID-19 Vaccines - National Institutes of Health (NIH)