News that two different vaccines engineered to do battle with the coronavirus are currently being administered to frontline health care workers and seniors has given millions of people around the world hope that this may be the beginning of the end of COVID-19. Although this news may mark the long awaited onset of what we’ve all been hoping for, there is still a long way to go before this terrible virus is anywhere near being under control.
Now that vaccines have been created and are being distributed, the biggest questions left for all of us are about the vaccines themselves. Here’s what we know:
To begin, to be fully effective the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two separate doses administered to each recipient about three weeks apart.
Experts say the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is more than 50 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. When the second dose is administered, the level of protection skyrockets to about 95 percent.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. That means a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
Many have wondered if either of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines — or coronavirus vaccines currently in development in the United States — contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. According to the CDC the answer to that is no, which means a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with the coronavirus.
According to the CDC, there are several different types of vaccines in development and all of them teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms such as fever, which is normal and a sign that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19.
Because the supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States is limited at first, the CDC provided recommendations to federal, state, and local governments about who should be vaccinated first in Phase 1 of the distribution process. The CDC stated that frontline essential workers such as health care personnel fire fighters, police officers, corrections officers, food and agricultural workers, United States Postal Service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, and those who work in the educational sector (teachers, support staff, and daycare workers) should be among the first to be vaccinated.
As the state continues to expand eligibility to register for a COVID-19 vaccine, when your age group is approved you may go to ourshot.in.gov to set an appointment. Appointments may also be made by calling 211. A caregiver or loved one may make an appointment on behalf of an eligible senior. Additional groups, such as those based on underlying health conditions, will be added as vaccine becomes available. Updates will be posted at ourshot.in.gov.
Experts say it’s important to continue to wear masks and maintain social distancing until our country achieves herd immunity, which is when most of the population is immune to an infectious disease like COVID-19.
People who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact their health care provider immediately. If you are ill with flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, please call your health center or clinic before coming to your appointment. If you are an Eskenazi Health patient, please call 317-880-7666 before coming to your appointment. Health care professionals are available 24/7 to answer questions on symptoms and direct you to the most appropriate care. It is important to first call before arriving at Eskenazi Health.
Nydia Nunez-Estrada, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Eskenazi Health Center North Arlington