Now that there is an authorized and recommended vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in the United States, here are 8 things you need to know about the new COVID-19 Vaccination Program and COVID-19 vaccines.
The U.S. vaccine safety system ensures that all vaccines are as safe as possible. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined the vaccine meets its safety and effectiveness standards and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) officially voted to recommend the vaccine to the public on December 13, 2020.
The CDC has also developed a new tool, v-safe, as an additional layer of safety monitoring to increase our ability to rapidly detect any safety issues with COVID-19 vaccines. V-safe is a new smartphone-based, after-vaccination health checker for people who receive COVID-19 vaccines.
You need two doses of the currently available COVID-19 vaccine in order to get the most protection. A second shot three weeks after your first shot is needed.
Because the current supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. is limited, the CDC recommends that healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents receive the vaccine first. Other groups considered for early vaccination (but no formal recommendation has been made by the ACIP yet as to when they will be eligible to receive the vaccine):
The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as large quantities are available. Once the vaccine is widely available, the plan is to have several thousand vaccination providers offering COVID-19 vaccines in doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers.
The side effects from COVID-19 vaccination may feel like flu and might even affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. The CDC explains more about what side effects to expect and how to reduce discomfort after your vaccination.
Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccination providers may be able to charge administration fees for giving the shot. Vaccination providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.
If more COVID-19 vaccines are authorized or approved by FDA, the ACIP will quickly hold public meetings to review all available data about each vaccine and make recommendations for their use in the United States.
All ACIP-recommended vaccines will be included in the U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Program. State, tribal, local, and territorial health departments have developed distribution plans to make sure all recommended vaccines are available to their communities.
Just because we have a vaccine does not mean wearing your mask, social distancing, and washing your hands is any less important. Keep taking the same precautions to help stop the spread.
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Source: CDC