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Preparing for Your COVID-19 Vaccine

January 28, 2022

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick even if you have had COVID-19. Vaccination is an important tool to help us get back to normal. This information will help you prepare for your COVID-19 vaccination.

Learn more about the different types of COVID-19 vaccines and how they work.

Learn more about the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccination.

Plan and Prepare for Your COVID-19 Vaccination

Who should Get a COVID-19 Vaccine?

  • COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 5 years and older
  • Moderately or severely immunocompromised people who are ages 5 years and older and received a Pfizer-BioNTech primary vaccine series or ages 18 years and older received a Moderna primary vaccine series should receive an additional primary dose of the same vaccine at least 28 days after their second one
  • Everyone ages 12 years and older who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should get a booster shot. Learn more about booster shots

Get Vaccinated Even If You Had COVID-19 and Think You Have Natural Immunity

You should get a COVID-19 vaccine even if you already had COVID-19.

Getting sick with COVID-19 offers some protection from future illness with COVID-19, sometimes called “natural immunity”. The level of protection people get from having COVID-19 may vary depending on how mild or severe their illness was, the time since their infection, and their age; and no currently available test can reliably determine if you are protected after a COVID-19 infection.

All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States are effective at preventing COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine gives most people a high level of protection against COVID-19, even in people who have already been sick with COVID-19.

Emerging evidence shows that getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection to your immune system. One study showed that, for people who already had COVID-19, those who do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more than 2 times as likely to get COVID-19 again than those who get fully vaccinated after their recovery.

People Who Should Wait to Get Vaccination

If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma while sick with COVID-19, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. If you received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma after you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 to prevent you from getting sick, you should wait 30 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your healthcare professional if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you or your child have a history of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults or children, consider delaying vaccination until you have recovered from being sick and for 90 days after the date of diagnosis of MIS-A or MIS-C. Learn more about the clinical considerations for people with a history of MIS-A or MIS-C.

Considerations for Taking Medication before Getting Vaccinated

For most people, it is not recommended to avoid, discontinue, or delay medications that you are routinely taking for prevention or treatment of other medical conditions around the time of COVID-19 vaccination.

If you are taking medications that suppress the immune system, you should talk to your healthcare provider about what is currently known and not known about the effectiveness of getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Ask about the best timing for receiving a vaccine. Learn about COVID-19 vaccines for moderately to severely immunocompromised people.

Most people who take medication can get a COVID-19 vaccine. Taking one of the following medications is not, on its own, a reason to avoid getting your COVID-19 vaccination:

  • Over-the-counter medications (non-prescription)
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (naproxen, ibproufen, aspirin, etc.)
  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc.)
  • Biologics or biologic response modifiers that treat autoimmune diseases
  • Chemotherapy or other cancer treatment medications
  • Antiviral medication
  • Antibiotics
  • Statins
  • Blood pressure medications/antihypertensives (amlodipine, lisinopril, etc.)
  • Diuretics
  • Thyroid medications
  • Antidepressants
  • Metformin
  • Diabetic medications
  • Insulin
  • Steroids (prednisone, etc.)

This is not a complete list. It is meant to provide some examples of common medications. Taking any of these medications will not make COVID-19 vaccination harmful or dangerous.

If you have questions about medications that you are taking, talk to your healthcare professional or vaccination providers.

For more information, please visit

visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/prepare-for-vaccination.html.

Staying Up to Date with Your Vaccinations

January 21, 2022

COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, getting hospitalized, and even dying. As with vaccines for other diseases, people who are up to date are optimally protected. CDC recommends that everyone 5 years and older get their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines, and receive a booster dose when eligible.

When Are You Up to Date?

You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines when you have followed the current recommendations listed below. The recommendations will be different depending on your age, your health status, and when you first got vaccinated.

Many people who are immunocompromised may need an additional dose as part of their primary vaccine series.

Note that booster shots are not recommended for everyone at this time.

Pfizer-BioNTechModernaJohnson & Johnson’s Janssen
Primary Series
2 doses
Given 3 weeks (21 days) apart
Primary Series
2 doses
Given 4 weeks (28 days) apart
Primary Series
1 dose
Fully Vaccinated
2 weeks after final dose in primary series
Fully Vaccinated
2 weeks after final dose in primary series
Fully Vaccinated
2 weeks after 1st dose
Booster Dose
Everyone ages 12+ should get a booster dose at least 5 months after the last dose in their primary series
– Teens 12-17 should only get a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine booster
– Everyone 18+ should get a booster dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines)
Booster Dose
Everyone ages 18+ should get a booster dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) at least 5 months after the last dose in their primary series
Booster Dose
Everyone ages 18+ should get a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) at least 2 months after the first dose of J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. You may get J&J/Janssen in some situations.
When Boosted
A person is considered “boosted” and up to date right after getting their booster dose.
When Boosted
A person is considered “boosted” and up to date right after getting their booster dose.
When Boosted
A person is considered “boosted” and up to date right after getting their booster dose.

If you have a severe allergic reaction after a previous dose or if you have a known (diagnosed) allergy to a COVID-19 vaccine ingredient, you should not get that vaccine. If you have been instructed not to get one type of COVID-19 vaccine, you may still be able to get another type.

CDC has updated its recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines with a preference for mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) vaccines. Learn more about the updated guidance of the use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine.

The primary series of these vaccinations include a third dose for people ages 18 years and older with moderate to severe immunocompromise. This third dose occurs 28 days after the second dose in the primary series.

You should get your second shot as close to the recommended 3-week or 4-week interval as possible. You should not get the second dose early.

To learn more information, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html.

Contact Tracing

January 17, 2022

Contact tracing is key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and helps protect you, your family, and your community.

Contact Tracing Slows The Spread Of COVID-19

Contact tracing helps protect you, your family, and your community by:

  • Helping people diagnosed with COVID-19 get referrals for services and resources they may need to safely isolate.
  • Notifying people who have come into close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 and helping them determine what steps to take, depending on their vaccination status and history of prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). Follow-up may include testing, quarantine, and wearing a well-fitted mask.
  • Discussions with public health workers are confidential. This means that your personal and medical information will be kept private and only shared with those who may need to know, like your healthcare provider.

If You Come Into Close Contact With Someone With COVID-19

  • A public health worker, other professional, or the person you came into close contact with may tell you that you are a close contact and have been exposed to COVID-19.
  • Follow recommendations for quarantine, testing, and wearing a well-fitted mask. Quarantine recommendations vary based on up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination status or history of prior COVID-19 infection in the past 90 days.
  • Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately.
  • If you develop symptoms, get tested immediately and isolate from others. If your test result is positive, follow recommendations to isolate.
  • If you need help, health department staff can provide information about the best time to get a vaccine and resources for COVID-19 testing in your area.

If You Are Waiting For A COVID-19 Test Result Or Diagnosed With COVID-19

If you are waiting for COVID-19 test resultsIf you are diagnosed with COVID-19 or have symptoms
Stay away from othersQuarantine:
– Stay away from others while waiting for your COVID-19 test result, especially people who are more likely to get sick from COVID-19, if possible.
– If you have come into close contact with someone with COVID-19, follow recommendations to quarantine and wear a well-fitted mask. Quarantine recommendations vary based on up-to-date vaccination status or history of prior COVID-19 infection in the past 90 days.
Isolate:
– Stay at home away from others (isolate), except to get medical care.
– Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately.
Stay in a separate room, away from other household members, if possible.
– Use a separate bathroom, if possible.
– Avoid contact with other household members and pets.
– Don’t share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils.
– Follow recommendations for isolation.
Think about your close contactsWhile you wait for your COVID-19 test result, think about anyone you have come into close contact with starting 2 days before your symptoms began (or two days before you test if you do not have symptoms). This information can help with contact tracing efforts and help slow the spread of COVID-19 in your community. Use this resource to help you think of people you may have been around while you may have had COVID-19.Tell your close contacts that you have COVID-19 right away so they can follow recommendations to quarantine, get tested, and wear a well-fitted mask, depending on their vaccination and booster status or history of prior infection.
– An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting 2 days before the person has any symptoms or tests positive. People who have COVID-19 don’t always have obvious symptoms.
– A person is still considered a close contact even if they were wearing a mask while they were less than six feet from someone with COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
– You can call, text, or email your contacts. By letting your close contacts know they may have been exposed to COVID-19, you are helping to protect everyone.
– If you would like to stay anonymous, there is also an online tool that allows you to tell your contacts by sending out emails or text notifications anonymously.

Answer The Call

If a public health worker from the health department calls you, answer the call to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in your community.

  • Discussions with public health workers are confidential. This means that your personal and medical information will be kept private and only shared with those who may need to know, like your healthcare provider.
  • Your name will not be shared with those you came in contact with, even if they ask. The public health worker will only notify people you were in close contact with that they might have been exposed to COVID-19.
  • Public health workers may be able to connect you with other supportive services that can help you isolate or quarantine.

To learn more, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html.

Clinical Care Quick Reference for COVID-19

January 7, 2022

This quick reference highlights key COVID-19 Clinical Care information for healthcare providers and provides selected links to full guidance and research for easier CDC web navigation.

Caring for Patients

  • Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nasal congestion or rhinorrhea, vomiting or diarrhea, and skin rashes.
  • Some patients with COVID-19 may progress or dyspnea and severe disease about one week after symptom onset.
  • Clinicians who wish to consider the use of therapeutics or other available investigational therapies should review the COVID-19 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Treatment Guidelines.

Ending Isolation

  • For most people with a current laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, isolation and precautions can be discontinued 10 days after symptom onset and after resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and with improvement of other symptoms.
  • For adults who never develop symptoms, isolation and other precautions can be discontinued 10 days after the date of their first positive viral test.
  • Some severely immunocompromised persons with COVID-19 may remain infectious beyond 20 days after their symptoms began and require additional SARS-CoV-2 testing and consultation with infection disease specialists to determine the appropriate duration of isolation and precautions.

Reinfection

  • Confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection requires confirmation of initial infection and virus detection at two distinct time periods with genetic sequencing data that support reinfection.
  • A toolkit and criteria have been developed to support state and local health departments investigations of suspended cases of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection.

People at Increased Risk of Severe Illness

  • People of any with underlying medical conditions on CDC’s evidence-based list can be more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19.
  • Older adults are at highest risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
  • The risk of severe COVID-19 increases as the number of underlying medical conditions increases in a person.
  • Long-standing systemic health and social inequalities have put various groups of people at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.
  • CDC highlights key findings from a large cross-sectional that examined risk factors and comorbidities associated with severe outcomes of COVID-19.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS)

  • Multisystem inflammatory syndrome is a rare but serious complication associated with COVID-19 in which multiple organ systems become inflamed.
  • MIS can affect children and adolescents (MIS-C) and adults (MIS-A).
  • The MIS-C healthcare provider page provides information on clinical presentation, case definition of MIS-C, case report form (CRF), and more resources about MIS-C.
  • CDC has developed a MIS-A case definition for healthcare providers.

Post-COVID Conditions

  • Post-COVID conditions describe a range of new, returning, or ongoing health issues that persist four or more weeks after being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, sometimes after initial symptom recovery.
  • New or ongoing symptoms can occur in people who have varying degrees of illness during acute infection, including patients who had mild or asymptomatic infections.
  • Medical and research communities are still learning about post-acute symptoms and clinical findings.

To learn more, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care-quick-reference.html.