1) Which COVID-19 vaccines are available?
- Pfizer and Moderna vaccines: Both use mRNA technology shown to be 90% effective when given in two doses. Second dose should be given 3-4 weeks after the first
- Johnson and Johnson vaccine: approved in February this year is a single dose vaccine shown to be 72% effective in the US2) Who can get the vaccine?
- Per CDC, everyone ages 12 years and older are recommended to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
- For more information about the vaccine in California, Check out https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/#Vaccinating-those-at-higher-risk
2) When can kids under 12 years old get the vaccine
- Probably not until the end of the year or next year while studies are still being done regarding the safety and efficacy of current vaccines on kids under 12 years old.
- Healthy kids are at a far lower risk of serious disease or complications from COVID-19 and often do not even have symptoms
- Kids can still pass the disease on to older and more vulnerable patients so studies are underway to eventually get the vaccine for them too. Meanwhile, we recommend continued pre-cautions to prevent COVID-19 including mask wearing and social distancing for un-vaccinated persons
3) What are common side effects of COVID-19 vaccine?
- Pain, redness and swelling at injection site
- Tiredness, headaches, muscle aches, chills, fever, nausea
- Call your provider if symptoms are worrying you, are severe or lasting longer than a few days
4) Was the vaccine rushed? Can we trust it?
- While the vaccine production process went quicker than normal, regular non-pandemic guidelines were still followed with a few adaptations
- Operation Warp Speed (OWS) is the government funded process to address the urgency of the pandemic in getting a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible. Basically, billions of dollars were invested in several pharmaceutical companies to produce a viable vaccine. Vaccines require a lot of funding for research and man-power.
- The OWS also jump-started the manufacturing of the vaccine before it was approved so that it would be ready ahead of time for distribution as soon it did get approved.
- While the COVID-19 vaccines were discovered within amazing timeframes, the technology is not new. mRNA technology has been used for several cancer treatments.
5) Other important things to know
- You are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series such Pfizer or Moderna, or 2 weeks after single dose vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson
- Fully vaccinated people can resume activities they did prior to the pandemic without wearing a mask or social distancing except as required by certain business or workplace guidelines.
6) Check out these great resources for more information!
- https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/parenting/parenting-articles/covid-vaccine-updates/
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations.html#:~:text=People%20aged%2075%20years%20and,offered%20vaccination%20in%20Phase%201a.
- Frequent Asked Questions: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html
Citations:
- COVID-19 vaccine Updates. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2021, from https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/parenting/parenting-articles/covid-vaccine-updates/
- CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine ROLLOUT RECOMMENDATIONS. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations.html#:~:text=People%20aged%2075%20years%20and,offered%20vaccination%20in%20Phase%201a.
- Office, U. (n.d.). Operation warp speed: Accelerated covid-19 vaccine development status and efforts to address manufacturing challenges. Retrieved April 09, 2021, from https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-319
Updated 05/18/2021
