Whether you have taken your Covid-19 vaccines or not in the US watching several people getting their vaccinations every day might have been a huge relief. With each passing week, there are several reports coming out that highlights the ever-improving effectiveness of these vaccines. It is crucial to keep up with all the information coming out on a regular basis, but it is a huge task and might not be that easy as it sounds.
Why You Should Take Covid-19 Vaccines?
It Reduces Your Risk of Getting Infected
After getting your first shot, your body will start to produce antibodies that will protect your body against Covid-19. These antibodies will boost your immune system in case you have been exposed to the disease in some way. Although it’s true that you still can get infected after getting the vaccine, but once the majority of the population gets vaccinated those chances will be reduced thanks to herd immunity.
Reconnect with Your Friends and Family
Once you received your vaccine doses and waited for the recommended time to allow your body to build immunity, you can once again visit your loved ones in person specifically those who have been vaccinated or have low infection risk without a mask. Also, if you came into contact with a Covid-19 positive person, you don’t need to quarantine if you are fully vaccinated unless you are experiencing any symptoms.
Start Attending Small Events In-person
Once you received your vaccine doses, you can once again start visiting smaller events in person. Large gatherings are not yet recommended till 70% of the US population fully vaccinated. Once you are fully vaccinated, you can attend smaller events without wearing a mask.
Travel
Once you are fully vaccinated, you can once again start traveling domestically and overseas. However, it is recommended to keep wearing masks even you are fully vaccinated when you visit outdoors or go overseas given the rise of various Covid-19 variants in several countries.
Different Types of Covid-19 Vaccines
There are several types of Covid-19 vaccines available today, but the main types of Covid-19 vaccines available in the US include:
Messenger RNA or (mRNA) Vaccines
These vaccines use genetically produced mRNA that will give your cells instructions on how to produce the S protein found on the surfaces of Covid-19 viruses. Once vaccinated, your cells will start to produce the S protein and display them on the cell surfaces. This will let your body create antibodies to fight the virus if you later got infected.
Vector Vaccine
In vector vaccine, genetic materials from the Covid-19 virus and are then placed in a modified version of another virus (viral vector). When the virus injected into your cells, it transfers the genetic material from the Covid-19 virus that gives your cells instructions to create S protein on the surfaces. Your immune system then responds by creating antibodies and white blood cells to protect your body.
Protein Subunit Vaccine
These Covid-19 vaccines only include the portions of a virus that can invigorate your body’s immune system. It contains the S proteins, which once your immune system realizes, produces antibodies and white blood cells to protect your body.
Covid-19 Vaccines Approved in the USA
There are three vaccines currently approved in the US – Pfizer – BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. Apart from that, there are other vaccines that are currently in the late trial stage.
Pfizer – BioNTech
This became the first vaccine to receive approval from the FDA EUA on 11th December 2020, after the company reported up to 95% efficiency in their trial data.
- Status: Approved for emergency use in the USA
- Recommended for: People aged 12 or older
- Dosage: 2 doses 21 days apart
- Side-Effects: Headache, pain, chills, hydration, Tiredness, redness, or swelling around the injection site all these issues resolved within a day or two
Moderna
Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine was the second vaccine approved for emergency use in the US, which received FDA EUA approval on December 18, 2020. This is an mRNA vaccine like the Pfizer one and has 94.1% efficiency in preventing infection.
- Status: Approved for emergency use in the USA
- Recommended for: Individuals aged 18 or older
- Dosage: 2 doses 28 days apart
- Side-Effects: Headache, pain, tiredness, chills, redness, or swelling around the injection site
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson vaccine got approved for emergency use in the US on February 27, 2021. This is a viral vector virus and has overall 72% efficiency in preventing the virus.
- Status: Approved for emergency use in the US
- Recommended for: Individuals aged 18 or older
- Dosage: Single-dose
- Side-Effects: Headache, fatigue, fever, pain in injection site all of which are resolved within a day or two
Apart from these three vaccines, there are two other vaccines that are currently in late trial stages and might get approved for emergency use anytime. These are:
Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novavax
Both these vaccines have variable efficiency rates and similar side effects to the other three vaccines currently being used in the country.
To know more about these vaccines and how they work, watch the video below:
Where to Get Covid-19 Vaccine in the USA
The US federal government, states, and territories, and 21 nationwide pharmacies have launched the Federal Retail Pharmacy program to make the vaccines even more accessible. The participating pharmacies include Albertsons Companies Inc. Costco, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Walmart, etc.
Online pharmacies are not approved for any such programs, but there are some online pharmacies that are falsely claiming to sell these vaccines and trying to attract customers.
It is always recommended to read online pharmacy reviews to know more about such pharmacies. There are many great websites that offer comprehensive online pharmacy reviews helping their users. Reading those online pharmacy reviews will help you make informed decisions regarding buying medications for Covid-19 as well as other diseases.
Conclusion
Covid-19 vaccinations are currently going at a rapid pace with the data shows 51% of the American population received at least one dose while 41% of the population fully vaccinated. It is a long process and will take some time. Once the entire population fully vaccinated, people can return to their normal lives and everything will be back to normal.
