Vaccines

Vaccination is our most powerful tool to help protect ourselves, loved ones, our community and ultimately end the pandemic. The vaccines give you strong protection from getting and spreading COVID-19 and even greater protection from serious illness, hospitalization and death from the virus.

No. If you have insurance, your doctor or pharmacy may charge your insurance company a fee for giving the vaccine. People without health insurance can get COVID-19 vaccines at no cost. There are no out-of-pocket costs for anyone.

No. COVID-19 vaccine is being given to Lake County residents at no cost, regardless of immigration status. You should not be asked about your immigration status when you get a COVID vaccine. Your medical information is private and getting a COVID-19 vaccine does not affect your immigration status.

People are considered fully vaccinated after one of the following:

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series (the Comirnaty/Pfizer or Moderna vaccines)
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine (the Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccine)

If it has been less than 2 weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are not fully protected. Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated.

Yes. You should get vaccinated even if you already had COVID-19. That's because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible-although rare-that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again.

Studies have shown that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19.

Learn more about why getting vaccinated is a safer way to build protection than getting infected.

If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Yes. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA). Learn more about them in an EUA YouTube video.

Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines since they were authorized for emergency use by FDA. These vaccines have undergone and will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.

Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people. If you are pregnant, you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy can protect you from severe illness from COVID-19. If you have questions about getting vaccinated, a conversation with your healthcare provider might help, but is not required for vaccination.

Yes. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA). Learn more by viewing an EUA YouTube video.

Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines since they were authorized for emergency use by FDA. These vaccines have undergone and will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.

You may get side effects, like the ones after the flu vaccine or shingles vaccine after getting a COVID-19

vaccine. For two-dose vaccines, side effects are more common after the second dose. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away within a day or two. Not everyone gets side effects. They may include:

• Fever, chills, and muscle aches
• Headache
• Feeling tired
• Sore or red arm

Side effects are normal and a sign that the vaccine is working. It shows your body is learning to fight a germ and build up immunity. It is important to get the second dose even if you get side effects after the first dose unless a vaccination provider or your doctor tells you not to.

Contact your doctor if you have any of the following:

• Vaccine side effects that last more than 2 days
• Symptoms that start more than 2 days after you get the vaccine
• Any of these symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, runny nose, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell (as these are not vaccine side effects)
• Symptoms that get worse or worry you

mRNA vaccines, like Moderna or Pfizer's Comirnaty, contain material from the virus that causes COVID-19 that gives our cells instructions for how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. Our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build defensive cells that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future.

Vector vaccines, like Johnson and Johnson (Janssen), contain a modified version of a different virus than the one that causes COVID-19. Inside the shell of the modified virus, there is material from the virus that causes COVID-19. This is called a viral vector. Once the viral vector is inside our cells, the genetic material gives cells instructions to make a protein that is unique to the virus that causes COVID-19. Using these instructions, our cells make copies of the protein. This prompts our bodies to build specialized cells that will remember how to fight that virus if we are infected in the future.

Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine monitoring has historically shown that side effects generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines to be studied for at least two months (eight weeks) after the final dose. Millions of people have received COVID-19 vaccines, and no long-term side effects have been detected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to closely monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. If scientists find a connection between a safety issue and a vaccine, FDA and the vaccine manufacturer will work toward an appropriate solution to address the specific safety concern (for example, a problem with a specific lot, a manufacturing issue, or the vaccine itself).

No. COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way. Both mRNA and viral vector COVID-19 vaccines deliver instructions (genetic material) to our cells to start building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. However, the material never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept.

No. None of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are signs that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.

Serious side effects are rare. As with any medicine, it is possible to have a serious allergic reaction, such as not being able to breathe. This reaction is very rare but if it does happen, it is usually within in first 15 to 30 minutes after vaccination. Everyone is observed after getting a COVID-19 vaccine so that healthcare providers can treat an allergic reaction straight away.

There is a risk of a rare but serious condition involving blood clots and low platelets in people after receiving the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine. This risk is very low. This problem is rare and happened in about 7 per 1 million vaccinated women between 18 and 49 years old. For women 50 years and older and men of any age, this problem is even more rare. This problem has not been linked to the other two COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna).

If you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms, please call 911 immediately. If you currently have urgent or concerning symptoms, please contact your primary healthcare provider.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages people to report possible adverse events after vaccination to Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), even if they are not sure the vaccine caused the problem. In general, report any side effect or health problem after vaccination that is concerning to you. Reporting adverse events to VAERS helps scientists at CDC and FDA keep vaccines safe.

Please visit the VAERS website for more information or to report an adverse event.

No. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will not make you magnetic, including at the site of vaccination which is usually your arm. COVID-19 vaccines do not contain ingredients that can produce an electromagnetic field at the site of your injection. All COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals. Learn more about the ingredients in the COVID-19 vaccinations authorized for use in the United States.

Vaccine ingredients can vary by manufacturer. To learn more about the ingredients in authorized COVID-19 vaccines, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage.

Yes. Comprehensive clinical trials in more than 4,500 children ages 5 to 11 demonstrate the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in this age group, resulting in a strong antibody response in children who received the vaccines.

Clinical trials began in June for 5 to 11 year-olds in which a lower dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was tested. Pfizer announced in late September that their data demonstrated the vaccine is safe and produces a significant immune response. After this thorough study and the clinical trials, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Western States Scientific Review Group reviewed all data and recommended the vaccine for all children ages 5 to 11.

There's consistent and real-world evidence of the vaccine's safety and effectiveness. The vaccine has been given safely to millions of youth since it was authorized for ages 16 and up last December and for ages 12 and up in May.

California was allocated 1.2 million pediatric doses with additional supply from the federal government becoming available in the coming weeks. Distribution of these vaccines will be the same as throughout the vaccination effort with direct shipments to local health jurisdictions and providers.

The COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 contains a smaller amount of the same mRNA material that has been given safely to millions of youth since it was authorized for ages 16 and up last December and for ages 12 and up in May.

The dosage of Pfizer's ages 5 to 11 vaccine is in two, 10-micrograms (mcg) doses administered 21 days apart. This dosage is one-third of the adolescent and adult dose of two, 30-mcg doses.

The clinical trials demonstrated a robust antibody response and favorable safety outcomes in kids ages 5 to 11 who received the two-dose regimen.

After COVID-19 vaccination, some children - like adults - may have some mild side effects like soreness, headache, fever, chills. These are normal signs that your body is building immunity and, while they may affect your child's ability to do daily activities, they should go away in a few days.

Some people have no side effects at all. The risks from COVID-19 far outweigh the possible mild side effects from the vaccine.

Children are susceptible to serious complications from the virus and will benefit from the protection given by the vaccine. COVID-19 is the 8th leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 11. Children can also experience "long COVID" and in some instances, the virus has caused Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), in which a hyperactive immune system attacks the child's body.

California will administer vaccines with the strategies laid out in the state's COVID-19 Vaccine Action Plan (PDF). The state will be leveraging existing infrastructure and partnerships currently used to administer vaccines for 12 and up. This includes working closely with local health departments, schools, community partners and others to administer vaccines safely and equitably through mobile clinics and vaccine pop-ups in hardest-hit communities across the state.

There are many ways to get your eligible children vaccinated by either making an appointment or visiting a walk-in clinic. You can call your pediatrician or local health clinic to schedule your child's vaccination appointment. You can also visit the MyTurn website or call 833-422-4255 to find a vaccine near you.

Scientists and doctors recommend that children and adolescents ages 5 and up get the vaccine, even if they've had COVID-19. We don't know how long someone is protected from getting sick after recovering from the virus. And we don't know whether the immunity developed against one strain provides enough protections against new variants.

Here's what we know: These free, safe, and effective vaccines will help kids fend off the worst outcomes of this infectious virus, including the highly contagious Delta variant.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens
• Pfizer BioNTech Fact Sheets
• California's Safe Schools for All Hub
• CDC Vaccination Recommendation for 5 to 11 Year Old Children