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COVID-19 VACCINE

Racial minorities and other vulnerable populations have been disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reducing the impact of COVID-19 in our communities requires a collective effort to ensure those who want the vaccine can get one. It is equally essential to ensure our communities have access to reliable and accurate information that can assist with making an informed decision about vaccination.

The COVID-19 vaccine is a crucial component to helping Nevadans build immunity against COVID-19 and prevent new variants from emerging. If enough Nevadans get vaccinated and continue other protection measures, we will slow the spread of COVID-19, which can protect communities that are at high-risk of serious illness, hospitalization, or death from COVID-19.

Informational Videos About COVID-19

Vaccine FAQs

You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after you completed a primary COVID-19 vaccine series. This means two weeks after your second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or two weeks after one dose of Johnson & Johnson.
You are considered up to date when you completed a primary COVID-19 vaccine series and received one booster dose once you are eligible (1).

Boosters are additional doses that are given after a period of time to restore weaning protection against certain diseases (2). A COVID-19 booster helps people maintain a strong protection against severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19. The CDC recommends that everyone ages 12 and older who are eligible receive a booster after completing their primary COVID-19 vaccination series. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have more specific COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, including a 2nd booster.
Learn more about COVID-19 booster recommendations here.

COVID-19 vaccines were tested in large clinical trials to make sure they meet safety standards since COVID-19 can affect anyone. Medical experts and doctors ensured participants in the vaccine clinical trials represented different races, ethnicities, genders, ages, and health conditions.

The Pfizer-BioNTech clinical trial included over 43,000 participants and approximately 42% came from diverse backgrounds. More specifically, 26.2% identified as Hispanic, 9.8% African American, 4.4% Asian, and 3.3% other (3).  Learn more about Pfizer-BioNTech here.

The Moderna clinical trial included over 30,000 participants and approximately 36.5% came from diverse backgrounds. More specifically, 20% identified as Hispanic, 9.7% African American, 4.7% Asian, and less than 3% other (3). Learn more about Moderna here.

The CDC continuously monitors data from multiple studies to understand how well COVID-19 vaccines are working against COVID-19 infection, severe illness, and hospitalization (4). The CDC gathers and uses data from vaccine effectiveness studies, studies performed by vaccine manufacturers, other government agencies, and researchers to determine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in real-world conditions.

The COVID-19 vaccines were developed through a worldwide effort, massive funding, and existing research. The vaccines were carefully evaluated through clinical trials and met safety standards before being authorized by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) (4).

Learn more about the development of COVID-19 vaccines here.

The COVID-19 vaccines were developed through a worldwide effort, massive funding, and existing research. The vaccines were carefully evaluated through clinical trials and met safety standards before being authorized by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) (4).

Learn more about the development of COVID-19 vaccines here.

No. None of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines use the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means you cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines here.

No. None of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines can alter your genetic makeup (DNA). The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines do use mRNA. However, mRNA is unable to change your DNA because it cannot enter the nucleus of your cells, which is where your DNA lives in your body. This means mRNA does not interact with your DNA, therefore it cannot change it.

Learn more about mRNA vaccines here.

Current studies suggest the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are effective against other strains (also known as variants) of the virus (5). Research shows that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death from variants of concern, but may not be as effective at preventing asymptomatic infection (6).

Learn more about COVID-19 variants here.

References
  1. Stay Up to Date with Your COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC. Accessed April 19, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html
  2. Booster Shots and Additional Doses for COVID-19 Vaccines — What You Need to Know | Johns Hopkins Medicine. Accessed April 19, 2022. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/booster-shots-and-third-doses-for-covid19-vaccines-what-you-need-to-know
  3. Racial Diversity within COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials: Key Questions and Answers | KFF. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-diversity-within-covid-19-vaccine-clinical-trials-key-questions-and-answers/
  4. Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in the US | CDC. Accessed April 13, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety.html
  5. COVID-19 Vaccines Work | CDC. Accessed April 13, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness/work.html
  6. Monitoring COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness | CDC. Accessed April 19, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness/how-they-work.html