COVID-19

For many people, the benefits of preventing a COVID-19 infection outweigh the risks of the vaccine. The vaccine protects you from getting COVID-19 and is considered a safe way to build protection against the disease. By getting vaccinated, you are helping protect yourself, your family and friends. COVID-19 could have some side effects or complications. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you or your loved ones. If you are exposed to the virus, the vaccine may prevent serious illness and death.

It is recommended that individuals 65 years and older and those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised receive a second dose of 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine 6 months after their first dose.

For anyone who has been infected with COVID-19, their next dose may be delayed 3 months from when symptoms started or, if they did not have symptoms, when they received a positive test. Consult with your healthcare provider if you have any questions about the timing of your vaccination.

No. None of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. contain the live virus that causes COVID-19.

No. Viral tests such as PCR used to diagnose COVID-19 check samples from the respiratory system for the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19. Since the vaccines do not contain the live virus, they will not affect your PCR test result. However, it typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. Therefore, it is possible to test positive if you were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination.

It is possible you may test positive on some antibody tests if your body develops an immune response. Positive antibody tests can indicate you had a previous infection or vaccination and that you may have some level of protection against the virus. Antibody (Ab) testing is used in highly specialized situations (e.g., studies and surveillance) and should not be utilized to inform vaccination for employees.

Yes. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again. Receiving the vaccine when you have already had COVID-19 significantly enhances your immune protection and further reduces your risk of reinfection. For anyone who has been infected with COVID-19, their next dose may be delayed 3 months from when symptoms started or, if they did not have symptoms, when they received a positive test. Consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions about the timing of your vaccination.

No. You should wait to be vaccinated to avoid potentially exposing healthcare personnel and others during the vaccination visit. Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have a respiratory virus. You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true: your symptoms are getting better overall, and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days.

COVID-19 vaccines help prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Unvaccinated individuals are more likely to get COVID-19 and much more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19, compared to individuals who are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations.

There is no recommended waiting period between getting a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines. You can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same visit.

Yes. There is currently no evidence that antibodies formed from COVID-19 vaccination cause any problem with pregnancy, including the development of the placenta. Also, people who are trying to become pregnant now or who plan to try in the future may receive the COVID-19 vaccine. There is no evidence that fertility problems are a side effect of any of the COVID-19 vaccines. See ACOG’s practice advisory and CDC's recommendations on COVID vaccination for pregnant women.

Yes. As with many vaccines, there may be mild side effects (pain/swelling in the arm where you received the shot, fever, chills, fatigue, and headache). Side effects should only last a few days. There are rare side effects that have occurred, but at the current time, there are no common, severe side effects that have been reported despite millions of vaccine administrations.

You should be able to return to your workplace after receiving the vaccine. Most people who get the vaccine have mild or no side effects. For those who have side effects, they may uncommonly affect your ability to do some daily activities. If you experience a fever after vaccination, you may need to stay home from work and may need further evaluation.

Safety data have been collected for years for all authorized vaccines. It is unusual for vaccine side effects to appear more than 6 weeks after vaccination. Vaccines do not generally have long-term side effects and there is no reason to believe the COVID-19 vaccine will be an exception. Side effects and adverse events can be reported in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Talk to a healthcare provider about taking over-the-counter medicine, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin (only for people ages 18 years or older), or antihistamines for any pain and discomfort experienced after getting vaccinated.

Vaccines are now covered by insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. Additional costs would be dependent on your personal health insurance.

Check with your employer to see if they have any rules that apply to you.

Yes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a vaccine for use only if there are enough data to suggest that it is safe and effective; this is after clinical trials have been conducted with thousands of people of various ages, races, and ethnicities and when the benefits outweigh risks. Every study and every phase of every trial was carefully reviewed and approved by a safety board and the FDA. The process was transparent and rigorous, with continual oversight and expert approval.

The FDA will continue to monitor and oversee vaccine production to ensure all safety protocols are followed. The FDA and CDC also collect and analyze information from reports of any side effects that may occur after a vaccine has been licensed.

Studies are ongoing and experts are working to learn more about both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity. Research shows that FDA-authorized or approved vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of severe COVID-19 disease. Getting COVID-19 also provides infection-induced immunity. The length of protection is unclear for either vaccination or infection-induced immunity, although there is consistent evidence suggesting that immunity may decline with time. Protection may be the greatest from 2-6 weeks after vaccination. After 2-3 months, protection against infection wanes significantly. However, protection against severe disease lasts much longer. An annual COVID-19 immunization restores the protection of vaccines that wanes over time. Updated vaccines have been designed to protect against the latest variants circulating.

No vaccine is 100% effective against preventing infection. But, we do know that the COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective against serious illness, hospitalizations, and deaths. Severe outcomes and deaths are increasingly only being experienced in either the unvaccinated and/or severely immunocompromised individuals.

Fully vaccinated individuals may participate in many activities that they participated in prior to the pandemic but for some of these activities, they may have to resume masking based on state and local ordinances. There may be masking recommendations for all individuals based on employer policies or state and local ordinances.

1. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Practice Advisory: COVID-19 Vaccination Considerations for Obstetric–Gynecologic Care. October 16, 2024. Available at: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-advisory/articles/2020/12/covid-19-vaccination-considerations-for-obstetric-gynecologic-care.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions. August 30, 2024. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/faq.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines. October 3, 2024. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html.

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States - Interim Clinical Considerations. October 31, 2024. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/covid-19-vaccines-us.html.

5. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine. August 23, 2021. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine.