![]() This will prompt the body to recognize and attack the real SARS CoV-2 spike protein if you become exposed to the actual virus. Our cells recognize that this protein doesn’t belong, and the immune system reacts by activating immune cells and producing antibodies. How it works: It uses mRNA technology, which is a way of sending instructions to host cells in the body for making copies of a spike protein (like the spikes you see sticking out of the coronavirus in pictures). The inflammation, in most cases, gets better on its own without treatment. These include anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that is treatable with epinephrine (the drug in Epipens ®).įDA warnings: The FDA added a warning label on the mRNA vaccines regarding serious (but rare) cases of inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and of the outer lining of the heart (pericarditis) in adolescents and young adults, more often occurring after the second dose of an mRNA vaccine. A few side effects are serious, but rare. ![]() If these side effects occur, they should go away in a few days. Possible side effects: Pain, redness, or swelling at the site where the shot was administered, and/or tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, or nausea throughout the rest of the body. Children ages 6 months to 4 years who are not yet vaccinated may get a second dose 3-8 weeks after the first dose, and a third at least 8 weeks after the second.Those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system) may talk to their health care provider about getting additional doses.Everyone 5 years and older (including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or might become pregnant) may get one dose of the 2023-2024 updated vaccine at least two months after the last dose of any previous COVID vaccine.The CDC has specific recommendations for the following groups, noting that anyone who recently had COVID may need to consider delaying their vaccination by 3 months: Who can get it: People 6 months and older. ![]() The original and bivalent vaccines are no longer in use, and it has yet to be decided whether updated shots will be administered annually, like the flu shot. New updated vaccines in September 2023 replaced the bivalent shots with ones targeting the XBB lineage of the Omicron variant. They were replaced in September 2022 by “bivalent” vaccines, which targeted both the original virus and Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5. First introduced in December 2020, the original COVID mRNA vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna protected against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. Status: Pfizer’s vaccine has been updated over time to target new virus variants. It must be stored in freezer-level temperatures, which can make it more difficult to distribute than some other vaccines. This is a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, which uses a relatively new technology. Before that, it was the first COVID vaccine to receive FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) back in December 2020, after the company reported that its vaccine was highly effective at preventing symptomatic disease. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (brand name: Comirnaty) was granted full Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in August 2021 for people ages 16 and older. We mapped out a comparison of the most prominent COVID vaccines. In the U.S., infants, children, and adults ages 6 months and older are eligible to be vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Īs the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates and new variants continue to emerge, it’s important to keep up with how well the updated vaccines are performing, but it’s also a daunting task, given the flood of information (and misinformation) coming at us from so many directions. The good news is that vaccines are still expected to be effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID. Because information about COVID changes rapidly, we encourage you to visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and your state and local government.ĬOVID-19 is now in its fourth year, and the Omicron variant and its subvariants are still driving infections in cases in the United States. Information in this article was accurate at the time of original publication. Those who did get the J&J shot are considered up-to-date when they get one updated (2023–2024 formula) COVID vaccine. Note: The Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine expired as of May 6, 2023, and is no longer available in the U.S.
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