COVID-19 Vaccinations – Safety is Our Priority

Dic 01, 2020

The United States is working to approve and administer a COVID-19 vaccine to assist in COVID prevention. COVID Vaccinations have been a top priority of the federal government, through Operation Warp Speed, since the pandemic started. The safety of the COVID-19 vaccine is the top priority. Cost will not be an obstacle to getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

While multiple COVID vaccines are being developed and tested, some may be ready before others. As vaccines are rolled out, it is important to understand how it will be distributed through vaccine planning — there may be a limited supply of the COVID-19 vaccine at first, but supply will continually increase in the weeks and months that follow.

Some of the front-runners in Operation Warp Speed to develop a COVID-19 vaccine are AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer. Vaccinations began in December 2020 for health care workers and nursing home residents under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Spring 2021 is likely when COVID vaccinations would begin for the general public. Americans over the age of 65 and people with medical conditions that put them at risk of death if infected would be most likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine next. It is possible that most Americans will have received COVID vaccinations by the Summer of 2021.

COVID-19 Vaccine Benefits?

We are constantly asked “Why should I get the COVID-19 vaccine?” We understand that some people may be concerned about getting vaccinated once a COVID-19 vaccine is available in the United States. While these vaccines are being developed as quickly as possible, routine processes and procedures remain in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine that is authorized or approved for use. Safety is a top priority, and there are many reasons to get vaccinated.

Below is a summary of the vaccine benefits of COVID vaccinations based on what we currently know.

Prevention From Getting COVID-19?

• COVID-19 vaccines from Project Warp Speed are being carefully evaluated in clinical trials and will be authorized or approved only if they make it substantially less likely you’ll get COVID-19. Preventing COVID is imperative — safety is the top priority.
• Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.
• Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. COVID prevention for these individuals is a key part of vaccine planning.
• Experts continue to conduct more studies about the effect of the COVID-19 vaccination on the severity of illness from COVID-19, as well as its ability to keep people from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.

Build Protection

• COVID-19 can have serious, life-threatening complications, and there is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you. If you get sick, you could spread the disease to friends, family, and others around you.
• Clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine must first show they are safe and effective before any vaccine can be authorized or approved for use. The known and potential benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine must outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine for use under what is known as an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
• Getting COVID-19 may offer some natural protection, known as immunity. But experts don’t know how long this protection lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. COVID vaccinations will help protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience sickness.
• Both natural immunity and immunity produced by a vaccine are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about, and CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.

Stopping The Pandemic

• Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. A COVID-19 vaccine will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.
• The combination of getting vaccinated and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.
• Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. As experts learn more about how COVID vaccinations may help reduce the spread of the disease in communities, the CDC will continue to update the recommendations to protect communities using the latest science.

COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs

Q. When will a COVID-19 Vaccine be available?
A. The goal for Operation Warp Speed is to deliver safe vaccines that work, with the first supply likely becoming available in early 2021 for the general public. When a vaccine is authorized or approved in the United States, there may not be enough doses available for all adults. Supplies will increase over time, and all adults should be able to get vaccinated later in 2021. However, a COVID-19 vaccine may not be available for children until more studies are completed.

Q. What can I do to protect myself until a COVID-19 vaccine is available?
A. You should cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others, avoid close contact with people who are sick, stay 6 feet away from others, avoid crowds, and wash your hands often. To learn more, click here.

Q. Where can I get a COVID vaccine?
A. The locations of all health care providers offering COVID vaccinations will be released once the vaccine is available. ¡HealthCore Clinic has applied to be a location distributing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Q. What are the COVID-19 vaccine costs?
A. Cost will not be an obstacle to getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine will be covered under what is known as an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

Q. Will HealthCore Clinic be offering the COVID-19 Vaccine?
A. Yes. HealthCore Clinic has taken the required steps to be an official distributor of the COVID-19 vaccine once it is available. More information will be shared at that time via our website, social media, and health partners.