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COVID-19 Vaccine News & Resources

August 28, 2023

COVID-19 resources linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has presented the world with unprecedented health challenges that affect every element of life. Read NAHC’s official Resolution on the COVID-19 Vaccine.

To access NAHC’s main COVID-19 Resources page, click here.

Read COVID-19 Vaccine News in NAHC Report

About the COVID-19 Vaccines

  • COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
  • CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older and boosters for everyone 5 years and older, if eligible.
  • Learn about the different vaccines available.
  • To find a COVID-19 vaccine near you: Search vaccines.gov, text your zip code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find COVID-19 vaccine locations near you.

COVID-19 VACCINE INFORMATION

Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination

Benefits of the COVID-19 Vaccines

Vaccinations Update

COVID-19 Vaccine Primary Series

As of October 12, 2022, 627.9 million vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. Overall, about 265.1 million people, or 79.9% of the total U.S. population, have received at least one dose of vaccine. About 226.2 million people, or 68.1% of the total U.S. population, have completed a primary series.*

  • Percentage point change from last week: +0.2
  • Percentage point change from last week: +0.1

COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

Of those who have completed a primary series, about 110.8 million people have received a booster dose,* and more than 14.78 million people have received an updated (bivalent) booster dose. But 49.6% of the total booster-eligible population has not yet received a booster dose. Booster dose eligibility varies by age and health condition. Learn more about who is eligible.

COVID-19 Vaccine News & Analysis

Updated Boosters Are Recommended for Some People

CDC recommends that people ages 5 years and older receive one updated (bivalent) booster if it has been at least 2 months since their last COVID-19 vaccine dose, whether that was:

  • Their final primary series dose, or
  • An original (monovalent) booster

People who have gotten more than one original (monovalent) booster are also recommended to get an updated (bivalent) booster.

About COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying. As with other vaccine-preventable diseases, you are protected best from COVID-19 when you stay up to date with the recommended vaccinations, including recommended boosters.

Four COVID-19 vaccines are approved or authorized in the United States:

  • Pfizer-BioNTech
  • Moderna
  • Novavax
  • Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) (However, CDC recommends that the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine only be considered in certain situations, due to safety concerns.)

Updated (Bivalent) Boosters

The updated (bivalent) boosters are called “bivalent” because they protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5.

Previous boosters are called “monovalent” because they were designed to protect against the original virus that causes COVID-19. They also provide some protection against Omicron, but not as much as the updated (bivalent) boosters.

The virus that causes COVID-19 has changed over time. The different versions of the virus that have developed over time are called variants. Learn more about variants of the COVID-19 virus.

Two COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer and Moderna, have developed updated (bivalent) COVID-19 boosters.

When Are You Up to Date?

You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines if you have completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series and received the most recent booster dose recommended for you by CDC.

COVID-19 vaccine recommendations are based on three things:

  1. Your age
  2. The vaccine you first received, and
  3. The length of time since your last dose

People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.

You are still up to date if you receive all COVID-19 vaccine doses recommended for you and then become ill with COVID-19. You do not need to be immediately revaccinated or receive an additional booster.

How Well COVID-19 Vaccines Work

  • People who are up to date have lower risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
  • Updated COVID-19 boosters can help restore protection that has decreased since previous vaccination. The updated boosters provide added protection against the recent Omicron subvariants that are more contagious than the previous ones. The recent subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, are very closely related to the original variant, Omicron, with very small differences between itself and the original variant.
  • CDC will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines have undergone—and will continue to undergo—the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. Evidence from the hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccines already administered in the United States, and the billions of vaccines administered globally, demonstrates that they are safe and effective.

Side Effects

  • Side effects that happen within 7 days of getting vaccinated are common but are mostly mild. Sometimes they may affect a person’s ability to do daily activities.
  • Side effects throughout the body (such as fever, chills, tiredness, and headache) are more common after the second dose of a Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.

Adverse Events

  • Severe allergic reactions to vaccines are rare but can happen.
  • There is a rare risk of myocarditis and pericarditis associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, mostly among males ages 12–39 years. The rare risk may be further reduced with a longer interval between the first and second dose.
  • Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have also been reported in people who received Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.
  • There is a potential cause-and-effect relationship between J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and a rare and serious adverse event. It is blood clots with low platelets (thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS). TTS occurs at a rate of about 4 cases per million Janssen’s Johnson and Johnson doses and has resulted in deaths. Because of this risk, vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines other than J&J/Janssen vaccine is preferred.

OLDER IMPORTANT NEWS

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

National Institutes of Health

Other Vaccine Links

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