We know people have questions about COVID-19 vaccines and this website is a place where you can find answers. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, experts learn more about the coronavirus and virus variants that cause COVID, along with how the vaccines are working in real world conditions.
To find a COVID vaccine near you go to vaccines.gov.
Everyone 6 months of age and older – including those who are pregnant, recently pregnant or breastfeeding – should get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can to protect yourself and your loved ones from serious COVID illness. Most of the people who have been hospitalized or died due to COVID have been unvaccinated.
To find a vaccine near you, check:
When you arrive at the vaccination location, you may be asked to wear a mask. The office or vaccination clinic staff may ask you for your name to confirm your appointment if you have one. Remember that everyone 6 months of age and older is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, without any personal information being reported back to the government.
You should then receive a fact sheet that tells you more about the specific COVID-19 vaccine you will receive. Each FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine has its own fact sheet that contains information to help you understand the risks and benefits of receiving that specific vaccine. You can learn more about each of the vaccines here.
There is no special vaccine administration process. The person giving you the vaccine will wipe your arm, administer the vaccine, and give you a band aid. You will then be asked to wait 15 minutes to ensure you do not have any allergic reaction to the vaccine.
Afterward, you should receive a vaccination card that tells you which COVID-19 vaccine you received, the date you got it, and where you got it. Keep your vaccination card someplace safe as you will need it to fill out information on your second dose and booster(s).
It is normal to experience some mild side effects after getting a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine can vary depending on your age, which vaccine you got, and how many doses you have recieved. You might get one or more of the following reactions after getting a dose of any of the COVID vaccines:
These possible side effects usually happen within 3 days of getting the vaccine and should only last a few days. Remember, not everyone who gets vaccinated will have side effects. Some people get the vaccine and feel fine. But if you’re worried or if you have other reactions after getting the vaccine, please call your doctor right away.
For more information on serious, but rare, side effects, please visit our safety questions.
Because your body processes the vaccine and all of its components within a few days, any side effects are seen within the first six weeks after you’ve received the vaccine.
It depends how old you are, which vaccine you get, and if you are immunocompromised. The vaccines were updated in September 2023 to provide better protection against the currently circulating variants.
For people 5 and older, you are up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination once you have received one dose of the updated monovalent vaccine. Getting the updated vaccine is especially important for those at the highest risk of severe COVID-19, including people over 65 and people with certain health conditions.
Babies & children 6 months to 4 years old still need multiple doses of the vaccine because they are less likely to have any immunity to COVID. The number varies by age and vaccine brand, and you can find out more about your family’s specific situation here.
For more information including details for each type of vaccine and a handy tool to check whether you’re up to date, click here.
If you are severely immunocompromised, there are different COVID vaccination guidelines because your immune system may not respond as strongly or effectively to vaccination. To find more information on the best COVID-19 vaccination regimen for you, read this.
All COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized or approved by FDA and recommended by the CDC for use in the United States have been shown to help protect people who are vaccinated from getting severely ill, being hospitalized, or even dying from COVID-19. The vaccines also help protect people around the vaccinated person.
People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may not be protected even if they are fully vaccinated. They should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, including wearing a well-fitted mask, until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider. It is important that those around them are fully vaccinated as well, in order to limit their exposure to COVID-19 further.
Vaccine breakthrough cases are expected. People who have been fully vaccinated, however, are less likely to get sick and are much less likely to get severely ill, be hospitalized, or die from a COVID-19 infection. It’s also possible that some fully vaccinated people might get COVID infections but have no symptoms. Anyone who gets COVID – with or without symptoms – can possibly spread it to others; however, vaccinated people appear to spread the virus for a shorter time.
There are currently three COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized or approved for use in the U.S. – Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax.
All of the authorized vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of severe illness and death due to COVID.
The Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine is no longer available in the U.S. as of May 2023.
Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines work against emerging COVID variants, including Omicron and Omicron subvariants (like XBB.1.5, the most recent one to gain traction). While new variants have been shown to be better at infecting people and evading existing immunity, the vaccines still greatly reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in people who are up to date on COVID vaccination.
In September 2023, the CDC recommended an updated vaccine formulation to provide better protection against circulating variants.
Researchers around the world will continue to monitor for new variants and the current vaccines’ effectiveness against them.
Global COVID-19 vaccination campaigns are key to slowing the emergence of variants as the virus mutates slower when it spreads slower.
“Immunocompromised people” refers to those whose immune systems do not work as well as they should to fight off infection or disease, either because of a medical condition or certain treatments for medical conditions like chemotherapy. Your medical team can help you understand if you are moderately or severely immunocompromised. If you are, you are eligible for additional doses of COVID vaccine to achieve a stronger response from your immune system. The latest recommendations for immunocompromised people are available here.
People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may not be protected even if they are fully vaccinated. They should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, including wearing a well-fitted mask, until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider. It is important that those around them are fully vaccinated as well, in order to limit their exposure to COVID-19 further.
As of Fall 2023, COVID vaccines are no longer paid for by the U.S. government, but special programs are in place to make sure they remain accessible.
Most people in the U.S. can still get a COVID-19 vaccine for free. For people with health insurance, most plans will cover COVID-19 vaccine at no cost to you. People who don’t have health insurance or with health plans that do not cover the cost can get a free vaccine from their local health centers; state, local, tribal, or territorial health department; and pharmacies participating in the CDC’s Bridge Access Program. Children eligible for the Vaccines for Children program also may receive the vaccine from a provider enrolled in that program.
First, don’t worry. If you lost your COVID vaccination card or don’t have a copy, contact your vaccination provider directly and ask if you can get a copy of the card or replacement card (the information about the COVID vaccine doses you received should be included.)
If you cannot contact your vaccination provider directly, contact your state health department’s immunization information system (IIS). Vaccination providers are required to report COVID-19 vaccinations to their state’s IIS.
If you have made every effort to locate your vaccination information and are still unable to get a copy or replacement of your COVID vaccination card, talk to a COVID-19 vaccine provider about your situation.
These cards are distributed to vaccination providers by state health departments.
The CDC does not maintain vaccination records or determine how vaccination records are used. In addition, the CDC does not provide the CDC-labeled white COVID-19 vaccination record card to people.
The COVID-19 vaccines are safe. In the first year they were available, about 470 million doses were administered here in the U.S. Most people who reported a reaction to the vaccine reported mild side effects, such as pain in their arm where they received their vaccines.
Researchers, both public and private, continue to watch carefully for any rare side effects that may arise. To date, the only serious, but rare, side effects include anaphylaxis, myocarditis and pericarditis, and thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). Learn more about these conditions and your risk factors for them below.
mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were developed using technology that has been evolving since the 1980s. They also were not the first coronavirus vaccines ever made. Scientists have been working on vaccines for the COVID-19 virus’ cousins, SARS and MERS, for nearly two decades. These two viruses gave scientists a head start on understanding how to combat COVID-19. mRNA technology also allows us to develop vaccines more quickly. No steps are skipped, it’s just a new technology that moves quicker, like moving from dial-up internet to fiberoptic cable.
There are multiple processes and programs in place to monitor COVID-19 vaccine safety. Learn more about each below.
If any serious safety issues are detected, immediate action will be taken to find out if the issue is related to the COVID-19 vaccine and determine the best course of action.
It is normal to experience some mild side effects after getting a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine can vary depending on your age, which vaccine you got, and whether it’s your first or second dose of a COVID vaccine, a third primary dose (for those who are immunocompromised) or booster doses. You might get one or more of the following reactions after getting a dose of any of the COVID vaccines:
These possible side effects usually happen within 3 days of getting the vaccine and should only last a few days. Remember, not everyone who gets vaccinated will have side effects. Some people get the vaccine and feel fine. But if you’re worried or if you have other reactions after getting the vaccine, please call your doctor right away.
For more information on serious, but rare, side effects, please see our questions below regarding thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) and myocarditis.
Serious side effects that would cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine safety monitoring has shown that if side effects are going to happen, they generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose. That’s because the antigen, the part of the vaccine that causes an immune response, is destroyed by your body’s immune system. The rest of the vaccine ingredients are filtered out by your body within a few days.
That is why the FDA has required each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. to be studied for at least eight weeks after the final dose. Millions of people have received COVID-19 vaccines, with the first doses administered over two years ago in clinical trials, and no long-term side effects have been detected. The experts at the FDA, the CDC, and their advisory groups continue to conduct careful and extensive safety monitoring of all three COVID vaccines.
COVID vaccines continue to show that their benefits outweigh any risks. It is also important to note that there are many people reporting long-term health problems from the COVID-19 virus, including Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children and Adults (MIS-C and MIS-A). Learn more here.
No. There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in females or males. The rumor began because the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus that is used in the vaccine looks similar to the spikes that connect the placenta to the uterus. Your body, however, can tell the difference between these spike proteins.
The CDC, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) have all confirmed the COVID-19 vaccines do not affect fertility.
A study conducted by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine shows that women who had the COVID-19 vaccines were able to get pregnant at the same rates as women who did not get the vaccines.
There is also no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause male fertility problems. According to the CDC, there was a recent study of 45 healthy men who got an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, which looked at their sperm characteristics (like quantity and movement) before and after vaccination. The study researchers found no significant changes in these sperm characteristics after vaccination. In addition, while fever from illness, like COVID, has been associated with short-term decreases in sperm production in healthy men, there is no evidence that fever after COVID vaccination affects sperm production.
There have been rare reports of cases of myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle; pericarditis is an inflammation of the outer lining of the heart.
Most of these reported cases have happened in males between 16 and 29 years old after getting their second dose of a mRNA COVID vaccine. According to a January 2022 study, out of 192,405,448 people who received mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, there were 1,626 reports of myocarditis (0.000845%).
While these heart issues might sound very scary, myocarditis and pericarditis can be mild and treatable. In fact, of those who developed the heart conditions after getting vaccinated, most have made a full recovery. One study has shown that in young people, specifically those younger than 21 years of age, cases of COVID-19 vaccine-related cardiac complications are mild and resolve quickly – additional data and follow-up is necessary for other age groups.
Finally, a recent study found that the risk for cardiac complications was significantly higher after COVID-19 infection than after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination for males and females in all age groups. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and minimize your risk complications caused by COVID-19 infection.
There was a rare risk of severe blood clots after getting the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine. For this reason, the J&J vaccine is no longer available in the U.S.
More specifically, there was a risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS. TTS is a rare, but serious, condition involving blood clots and a low blood platelet count that’s seen in some people who received the J&J vaccine. There were 60 cases of TTS out of 18.5 million doses given overall.
If you got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the past you are not at risk for TTS as cases emerge within 6 weeks.
Yes. The CDC and pregnancy experts STRONGLY RECOMMEND that all pregnant and recently pregnant individuals (including those who are breastfeeding) get vaccinated against COVID-19 and get the latest booster dose(s).
In January 2022, a study was published that showed COVID-19 vaccination was not associated with preterm birth or lower weight babies in the over 40,000 pregnant individuals who were vaccinated against COVID.
It’s important to remember that people who are pregnant or recently pregnant are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, hospitalization and even death. A CDC study published in November 2021 showed that people who have COVID-19 during pregnancy are at increased risk for preterm birth (delivering the baby earlier than 37 weeks) and stillbirth and might be at increased risk for other pregnancy complications.
A COVID vaccine can also help protect your baby. Recent reports have shown that people who have received COVID-19 mRNA vaccines during pregnancy (mostly during their third trimester) have passed protective antibodies to their babies, which could help protect them after birth.
The COVID-19 vaccinations will continue to be monitored closely by public health officials through U.S. safety monitoring systems.
Even though pregnant people were not in the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, the CDC and the FDA have a number of safety monitoring systems in place to closely monitor the safety of pregnant individuals who choose to get vaccinated against COVID (and the safety of their babies).
Data from these systems did not find any safety concerns for pregnant people who were vaccinated or for their babies. And, evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing. Scientists have compared the pregnancies of people who have received COVID-19 vaccines and those who have not. The reports show that these people have had similar pregnancy outcomes. The CDC and FDA will continue to follow people vaccinated during all trimesters of pregnancy to understand COVID vaccination effects on pregnancy and babies.
The monitoring systems include:
The CDC and professional medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, recommend COVID-19 vaccination at any point in pregnancy as well as booster doses for those eligible. Learn more here.
Looking for more information? Check out these sources:
Yes. The CDC now recommends COVID-19 vaccines for babies and children 6 months and older. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both recommended for this age group.
The specific dosage and timing depends on your child’s age and which vaccine they get. For more information about vaccine options, talk to your child’s healthcare provider or read more here.
The benefits of vaccinating children include:
Serious side effects that would cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine safety monitoring has shown that if side effects are going to happen, they generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose. That’s because the antigen, the part of the vaccine that causes an immune response, is destroyed by your body’s immune system. The rest of the vaccine ingredients are filtered out by your body within a few days.
That is why the FDA has required each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. to be studied for at least eight weeks after the final dose. Millions of people have received COVID-19 vaccines, with the first doses administered over two years ago in clinical trials, and no long-term side effects have been detected. The experts at the FDA, the CDC, and their advisory groups continue to conduct careful and extensive safety monitoring of all three COVID vaccines.
On the other hand, some children and teens are experiencing multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) after COVID-19 illness. As of April 5, 2022, over 7,800 cases of MIS-C have been reported in children after COVID-19 infection. MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including heart, lung, kidney, skin, and brain functions. Learn more about Long COVID and MIS.
While COVID-19 is less likely to cause severe illness in children than in adults, many children HAVE gotten very sick after being infected, and thousands have died.
We can’t predict which children will have severe illness from a COVID infection – more than half of children who have been hospitalized don’t have any underlying medical conditions.
Children are also at risk of long-term health conditions due to COVID-19 infection (long COVID), including the very serious Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a condition where different body parts become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Over 7,800 cases of MIS-C have been reported so far with most cases occurring in children between 5 and 13 years old.
We can now prevent the death of children by getting them vaccinated.
Yes. Medical and public health experts say it’s ok for your children to get their routine vaccines and the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Given the importance of routine vaccination and the need for rapid uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, the AAP supports coadministration of routine childhood and adolescent immunizations with COVID-19 vaccines (or vaccination in the days before or after) for children and adolescents who are behind on or due for immunizations (based on the CDC/AAP Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule) and/or at increased risk from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
No. There is no evidence linking the vaccines and hepatitis. The CDC and WHO are investigating the cause of a rise in cases of hepatitis in young children. Most of the children who have been diagnosed with hepatitis are under 5 and were not eligible to receive the vaccine at the time they developed hepatitis. While early information points to a link between infection with adenovirus type 41, which is a common virus that usually causes cold and flu like symptoms in children, the cause is still being investigated. But we do know that these hepatitis cases are NOT linked to vaccines.
No. The false claim that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips that can track people started before the vaccines became available in the U.S. This myth comes from people taking comments by billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates completely out of context.
Gates is often the subject of conspiracy theories and vaccine-related disinformation because of his foundation’s work related to public health and vaccines. While it’s true that The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation works with global partners to provide effective vaccines and medications to those who need it most, and they also invest in the development of new vaccines to prevent infectious disease, Gates is not directly involved in the creation of any vaccines. See more COVID-19 mythbusters from the World Health Organization (WHO).
No. There is no connection between 5G networks and COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccines. Viruses cannot travel on radio waves/mobile networks. In fact, COVID-19 is spreading in many countries that do not have 5G mobile networks. In addition, the way that vaccines work, they don’t need to be, and cannot be, “activated.”
No. After singer Justin Bieber announced he had Ramsay Hunt syndrome in June 2022, anti-vaccine activists quickly started spreading false information to make people fear the vaccines.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is caused by a virus – the varicella zoster virus – which is the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. We now have vaccines against chickenpox (for kids) and shingles (for adults).
Vaccines do not cause Ramsay Hunt syndrome – they can actually prevent it.
