We’re not completely sure how well the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work against the various new strains of SARS-CoV-2 that are being identified. The clinical trials for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines pre-dated the emergence of these new strains. The good news is that early information from Israel indicates that the Pfizer vaccine seems …
You can still obtain the COVID vaccine, but currently the recommendations are to wait 90 days from the time of receiving the plasma or monoclonal antibody therapy.
The shot will help protect you from being infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the infection that causes COVID-19) and, even if you get infected, it will help prevent you from developing symptoms of severe COVID-19. Getting the vaccine reduces your risk of becoming ill, seriously ill, or dying from COVID-19. The vaccine may also decrease the chance …
Herd immunity occurs when a majority of the population (the “herd”) is vaccinated. When enough people are immune through vaccination, the disease is unable to spread. With nowhere to go, the virus dies out. It is then far less likely that anyone, immunized or not, will become infected with the virus. Usually, about 70%-90% of …
This vaccine has been developed very quickly compared to other vaccines. This is due to the urgency of the global pandemic. However, it has been created in a way that allowed it to be safe and to be studied so that people around the world can be confident in taking it The next step is …
This is when a person is “hesitant” about receiving the vaccine. This can be due to many factors, such as concern about the safety and development of this specific vaccine, lack of confidence in vaccines as a whole, or a lack of education about vaccination. This is why it’s important for all of us to …
Yes! These vaccines are effective and have been shown to significantly reduce your risk of getting sick from COVID-19. The risk decreases within weeks of completing the vaccines; and this reduced risk is the same regardless of sex, race, age or weight. But the first dose of either vaccine is only partially effective—that is why …
That is a really good concern. COVID19 has affected certain communities far more than others, and it is really important to ask if those communities have been part of this vaccine development as well as the safety reviews for these vaccines. In addition, we recognize that medicine historically has not treated underrepresented communities equally, and …
At this time there is not enough data to know if there is any change in vaccine effectiveness in people who have received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma. Please stay tuned for any updates to this!
No — you do not need to get both vaccines! Both of the vaccines approved by emergency use authorization (EUA), the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines, work in the same way: they are mRNA vaccines that target the spike protein of the virus (the protein that allows the virus to enter the body’s cells). Both …
