COVID-19 Vaccine

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recently approved and recommended the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.

The South Dakota Department of Health has put together this document to answer questions parents and guardians may have regarding the pediatric COVID-19 vaccination.

Yes, it’s safe to receive the COVID-19 vaccine even if you’ve had another vaccination recently. You can now get both the flu and COVID-19 vaccine at the same visit. Talk with your primary care provider or pharmacist if you have questions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its recommendation on who should or may receive the COVID-19 booster vaccination on Nov. 19. In that recommendation the CDC says people age 50 and older should get a booster, and those age 18-49 are eligible to receive a booster.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved for booster doses 6 months after the original series completion. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is approved for a booster dose 2 months after the initial dose. Additionally, the CDC is allowing a “mix and match” approach, which allows patients to receive a different vaccine as a booster than what was received initially.

If you qualify, please schedule your booster dose using MyChart or by going here.

Monument Health is able to provide COVID-19 booster vaccines based on the approval by FDA and these recommendations by the CDC. The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant. However, COVID-19 constantly evolves. Experts are looking at all available data to understand how well the vaccines are working, including how new variants, like Delta, affect vaccine effectiveness.

Patients who have had the monoclonal antibody infusion should wait 90 days from administration of the infusion before receiving the vaccine.

Once vaccinated, you will not test positive for COVID-19, because the vaccine does not contain the virus. However, if you develop a COVID-19 infection before your body creates sufficient antibodies, then you will test positive. The vaccine itself does not interfere with PCR or Rapid tests at Monument Health.

Yes. You are not protected until you develop antibodies to the coronavirus.

The vaccine Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines have been shown to be 95 percent effective two weeks after the second dose. So even if you have been vaccinated, there is still a 5 percent chance of infection. The good news is that if you are unlucky to be in that 5 percent, the disease will be mild. You should recover with minimal symptoms and no lasting damage.

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine was approximately 77% effective in preventing severe/critical COVID-19 occurring at least 14 days after vaccination and 85% effective in preventing severe/critical COVID-19 occurring at least 28 days after vaccination.

All three COVID-19 Vaccines are 100 percent protective in preventing severe COVID-19.

Scientists are still researching how long the COVID-19 vaccine will protect you. Learn more about booster shots.

Two independent advisory committees (ACIP and the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee [VRBPAC]) review vaccine safety data. ACIP also monitors post-market safety and effectiveness data for new vaccines. For COVID-19, ACIP has formed a separate Vaccine Safety Technical (VaST) Subgroup to provide timely evaluation of vaccine safety, both pre- and post-licensure. See more on COVID-19 Vaccine Safety.

Early data on the vaccines show mild and temporary side effects like headache, fatigue and mild fever, which are all common signs that show a vaccine is working to help you build immunity. Injection site reactions my include pain, redness of the skin and swelling.

There is a recommended 15 minute observation period after each vaccination to be sure any potential adverse reactions are addressed.

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines are two-dose series vaccines and are not interchangeable. It’s important that you schedule your second dose while getting your first dose because your booster must be from the same manufacturer. The second dose must be given 21 days after the first shot for Pfizer and 28 days for Moderna.

The Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is a single dose.

There are no known contraindications to someone who has had the virus receiving the vaccine. Individuals who are COVID-19 positive should complete their quarantine period before receiving their vaccine.

People with COVID-19 who have symptoms should wait to be vaccinated until they have recovered from their illness and have met the criteria for discontinuing isolation. This guidance also applies to people who get COVID-19 before getting their second dose of vaccine.

This Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines was developed using mRNA and does not interact with DNA in any way – it is quickly broken down in the cell, never enters the nucleus and thus won’t cause long-term effects. See more on the CDC website.

Rumors of infertility have been shared on social media, but these are unfounded and not plausible. Here’s more on fertility.

A flu vaccine will not protect you from getting COVID-19, but it can prevent you from getting the flu at the same time as COVID-19. This can keep you from having a more severe illness. It’s possible that flu viruses and the COVID-19 virus will both be spreading during that time. That means that getting a flu vaccine will be more important than ever.

Yes, all vaccines are being provided by the federal government or allocated from state supply.

At this time, there is no out-of-pocket cost to patients for the vaccine. Private insurance companies and government programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program will fully cover the cost.