Will the COVID-19 vaccines work against new strains?—and more questions answered

About 10% of Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine—and if you haven’t yet, your turn will likely come soon with the Biden administration announcing it will distribute 13.5 million doses per week. Understandably, there are a lot of questions—but we have answers.

I want a vaccine now. Who is eligible to receive the vaccine? Even with the rollout progressing, there are still a relatively limited number of vaccines available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidelines to states on who should receive the vaccine first, based on the most high-risk populations. Click here for the latest guidelines.

Should I be worried about side effects? As with many vaccines, mild side effects are common—and in many cases, they’re signs that the vaccine is working. Watch:

Will the vaccine work against new strains? Viruses mutate all the time. While we’re still waiting for data to be released, public health experts stress the current vaccines are effective enough against variants to make people less sick, prevent hospitalizations and deaths, and stop the spread.

The bottom line: Getting vaccinated will slow the spread of the virus, giving it fewer opportunities to replicate—and therefore fewer opportunities to mutate again in the future. 

We answer these questions and more at www.COVIDVaccineFacts.org. We just posted a dozen new questions, including: 

·      Does the vaccine make me contagious?

·      How much protection does the first dose give?

·      Is there a grace period for scheduling the second dose?

·      How long after receiving the vaccine will I be fully immune?

·      I’m young and healthy. Should I still get vaccinated?

·      Will the vaccine interact with my medication?

·      Can I get a regularly scheduled vaccine before or after the COVID-19 vaccine?

·      Is a monoclonal antibody treatment the same as a vaccine?

P.S. Watch our new video to learn how vaccines were developed so quickly.

 Good Day BIO bionewsletter@bio.org