Facts about the COVID-19 vaccines courtesy of CommUnityCare
What You Need to Know
· COVID-19 vaccines are effective at helping protect against severe disease and death from variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 currently circulating, including the Delta variant.
· If you are fully vaccinated you can resume many activities that you did before the pandemic, but you should wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission to maximize protection from the Delta variant and possibly spreading it to others.
· You may have side effects after vaccination. These are normal and should go away in a few days.
· Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.
· FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines help protect against Delta and other known variants.
· COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. It typically takes 2 weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus that causes COVID-19. That means it is possible a person could still get COVID-19 before or just after vaccination and then get sick because the vaccine did not have enough time to build protection. People are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, or 2 weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.
· People with moderately to severely compromised immune systems should receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine after the initial 2 doses.
· Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines, and these vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.
COVID-19 vaccines cannot give you COVID-19.
What We Are Still Learning
· How well the vaccines protect people with weakened immune systems, including people who take medicines that suppress the immune system
· How long COVID-19 vaccines protect people
· How many people have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the population can be considered protected (population immunity)
· How effective the vaccines are against new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19
Availability of Vaccines
· Vaccines are widely accessible in the United States. Everyone aged 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible.
· Vaccines are widely accessible in the United States and are available for everyone at no cost. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines get to you.
· Many doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics offer COVID-19 vaccinations. Parents, check with your child’s healthcare provider about whether they offer COVID-19 vaccination.
Do I need a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot?
What: The FDA amended the Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to allow for the use of a third dose in some immunocompromised individuals, and the CDC now recommends that immune compromised individuals who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine get an additional dose.
Who: Significantly immunocompromised people — such as people who have received solid organ transplants or are receiving cancer treatments — and received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are recommended to get an additional vaccine dose. The FDA and CDC did not approve nor recommend boosters for people without compromised immune systems, nor for recipients of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Why: People with compromised immune systems may have a reduced ability to respond to vaccines, including COVID-19. New data show that a third dose of the mRNA vaccines helps to increase the effectiveness of the vaccine for this group. The need for this third dose is not due to a waning effect of the two-dose regimen.
Boosters are now available from Austin Public Health (APH). APH, with authorization from the Food & Drug Administration and further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is working with State and Federal agencies to provide a booster to people who have been fully vaccinated and are classified as immunocompromised. For more information on eligibility, please consult with your doctor and view information on the City of Austin COVID-19 website.
What You Need to Know
· People with moderately to severely compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 and may not build the same level of immunity to 2-dose vaccine series compared to people who are not immunocompromised.
· This additional dose intended to improve immunocompromised people’s response to their initial vaccine series.
· Although CDC does not recommend additional doses or booster shots for any other population at this time, HHS has announced a plan to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots this fall.
· CDC recommends that people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Who Needs an Additional COVID-19 Vaccine?
Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have:
· Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
· Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
· Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
· Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
· Advanced or untreated HIV infection
· Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.
Locations and requirements for getting a COVID-19 vaccine
Find a COVID-19 Vaccine: Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you.
Locally, you can find Walk up or schedule an appointment at a location near you at austintexas.gov/COVID-19 or call 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000.
CommUnityCare is offering COVID vaccines to both patients and no patients at this time. It is their goal to get as many people vaccinated as possible, so if you have NOT been vaccinated, please consider visiting to one of the following three COVID-19 vaccination locations to do so.
North Central Health Center
1210 W. Braker Lane
Austin TX 78758
Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm (*Last patient will be seen at 4:15pm)
Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center
2901 Montopolis Drive
Austin TX 78741
Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm (*Last patient will be seen at 4:15pm)
Rosewood-Zaragosa Vaccine Clinic
2802 Webberville Road
Austin TX 78702
Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Please remember to wear a mask when coming to any of the CommUnityCare Health Centers and vaccine sites.
CommUnityCare has vaccines available to non-patients at the locations listed above. No appointment is required, you can walk in any time during the hours of operation.