Vaccine Info

As COVID-19 vaccines are authorized and then recommended for use in the United States, it will be important to understand what is known about each vaccine. CDC will provide information on who is and is not recommended to receive each vaccine and what to expect after vaccination, as well as ingredients, safety, and effectiveness. Currently, two vaccines are authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19:

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine

There are three additional vaccines in Phase 3 Clinical Trials

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine

Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine

Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine

(CDC 2021)

Because the U.S. supply of COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be limited at first, CDC is providing recommendations to federal, state, and local governments about who should be vaccinated first. CDC’s recommendations are based on those from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent panel of medical and public health experts. (CDC 2021)

Each state has its own plan for deciding who will be vaccinated first and how they can receive vaccines.

Nevada will be allocated enough COVID-19 vaccine to start vaccinating larger groups, in the following general order (some individuals may overlap):

• Nevadans 70 years and older
• Frontline essential workers
• Nevadans ages 65-69 years
• Those ages 16-64 years with comorbid or underlying health conditions
• All other essential workers

For specific detail, please access a copy of the Nevada Vaccine Playbook

In Nevada, you can find information here:

State: https://www.immunizenevada.org/covid-19-vaccine-locator

County: https://www.immunizenevada.org/county-specific-covid-19-vaccine-plan

If you have questions about your county’s specific vaccine rollout plan, please email COVIDVaxHelp@immunizenevada.org. If your county does not yet have specific vaccine details, you can sign up using the interest form link on the county page form to get alerted when it’s your turn to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

If you do not have internet access, you can call 1-800-401-0946

between 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, seven days a week

Pregnant women have no precedent with the COVID-19 vaccine making many uneasy about receiving the vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, says that about 10,000 pregnant women in the U.S. have been vaccinated since the Food and Drug Administration authorized two vaccines, and so far, there have been “no red flags.” (Rodriguez 2021)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say the decision to be vaccinated is up to the mother in consultation with her health care provider.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people go ahead and get the vaccine when it’s their turn, even if they’ve already had COVID-19.

If you’ve had COVID-19, you likely developed some amount of natural immunity to it once you recover. But we don’t yet have a good understanding of how long that natural immunity might last. We think the vaccine can boost your protection without causing any harm. (Chaisson 2021)

COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building immunities. These aftereffects should be minor, and they should go away in a few days. Here are some common side effects:

On the arm where you got the shot:

• Pain
• Swelling

Throughout the rest of your body:

• Fever
• Chills
• Tiredness
• Headache

(CDC 2021)

The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines could offer immunity against COVID-19 for up to two to three years. However, they will most likely have to be administered annually. The vaccines will likely protect against current variants of COVID-19 as well as the original virus itself. (Tien 2021)

While more research needs to be done, experts believe you may have to receive the COVID-19 vaccine multiple times throughout your life rather than just once. The vaccines may need to be distributed annually.

“Different COVID-19 Vaccines.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Jan. 2021, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html.

“When Vaccine Is Limited, Who Should Get Vaccinated First?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 Jan. 2021, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations.html.

Rodriguez, Adrianna. “Should Pregnant Women Get the COVID-19 Vaccine? Dr. Anthony Fauci Sees ‘No Red Flags’ in Safety Data.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 1 Feb. 2021, www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/02/01/covid-vaccine-pregnant-women-dr-fauci-says-no-red-flags-so-far/4335747001/.

Chaisson, MD, Neal. “Should I Get the Vaccine If I’ve Already Had COVID-19 – and Would My Side Effects Be Worse?” Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic, Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic, 28 Jan. 2021, health.clevelandclinic.org/should-i-get-the-vaccine-if-ive-already-had-covid-19-and-would-my-side-effects-be-worse/.

“What to Expect after Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html.

Tien, Caroline. “Will You Need to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Every Year?” Verywell Health, 9 Jan. 2021, www.verywellhealth.com/length-of-covid-19-vaccine-immunity-5094857.