COVID-19 Vaccines and Your Family

In the United States, COVID-19 vaccines from four companies are available:Pfizer,Moderna,Johnson & Johnson(J&J), and Novavax. With some misinformation still circulating, it’s important to find science-backed answers to all your vaccine questions.

As scientists and medical professionals continue to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines, it's clear that the vaccines are safe, effective, and the best way to keep our families and communities safe, saysDr. Robert Frenck, lead investigator of the COVID-19 vaccine trials at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Here is the latest information available about the COVID-19 vaccines that you and your family should know.

Who Is Eligible for the Vaccine?

Everyone ages 6 months and older can—and should—receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

美国食品和药物管理局(FDA) formally approved the two-dose Pfizer vaccine for those ages 16 and older and has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for children ages 6 months to 15. A EUA covers people ages 18 and older who prefer to receive either the two-dose Moderna vaccine or the one-dose J&J vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is available for children aged 6 months to 17. The FDA has also issued an EUA for the Novavax vaccine for people ages 12 and older.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are recommended over the J&J vaccine, except in select circumstances. The J&J vaccine is now used for those who are allergic to any ingredient in the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or who do not have access to those vaccines.

The CDC recommends booster shots for adults and children aged 5 to 17, too.People ages 5 to 17 who got the Pfizer vaccine, to begin with, can get a Pfizer booster dose, whereas fully vaccinated people ages 18 and older can receive a booster shot of either the Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J vaccine. However, again, the Pfizer and Moderna boosters are preferred.

Talk to a doctor about whether it might be a good idea to get a different brand of vaccine for your booster than you did for your earlier shots. The CDC and FDA say people can "mix and match" vaccines if desired.However, children ages 5 to 17 who received the Pfizer vaccine for their first two shots should get a booster dose of Pfizer as well.Boosters are not needed for children who receive the Moderna vaccine for their primary series.

COVID-19 vaccines are widely accessible and free to everyone in the U.S. who is age-eligible to receive them, regardless of their immigration and health insurance status. According to the CDC, you can find a vaccine location by:

• Calling 1-800-232-0233
  
• Contacting your medical provider
• Texting your zip code to 438829
• Visitingvaccines.gov

You can also check yourstate's health department websitefor the latest on vaccine availability and how you can make a vaccine appointment for yourself or a loved one.

Are Children Eligible to Receive a COVID-19 Vaccine?

By November 2021, more than 6.5 million children had tested positive for COVID-19. Rates in kids have grown: Though children have represented 16.7% of all COVID-19 cases over the course of the pandemic, they accounted for nearly one-quarter of known cases in the week leading up to November 4, 2021.

Kids as young as 6 months old can get the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Only adults are eligible at this point to get the J&J vaccine. In March 2021, Pfizer and Moderna both began trials of their COVID-19 vaccines in children 6 months to 12 years.By June 2022, Pfizer and Moderna vaccine formulations for various age ranges became available for children ages 6 months and up.2022年8月,该公司疫苗就可以le for people ages 12 years and up and the company is planning to begin trials in younger children.

Overall, children are less likely to experience severe effects from COVID-19. A December 2020 review published in theBMJ Archives of Disease in Childhoodlisted several potential reasons for this phenomenon.

One theory was that since children often have frequent recurring viral infections, their immune system is more easily activated. Another theory is that children tend to be infected with a smaller viral load than adults, who may have more intense levels of exposure at work or while running errands. A smaller viral load has been linked to less severe symptoms.

Vaccination of children is an essential step in returning to normal safely. “If we ever want to really get to community protection, we will need all members of the community to have access to COVID vaccines,” saysSharon Nachman, MD, chief of pediatric infectious diseases and director of the Office of Clinical Trials at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.

"By incorporating children into that plan, we will get to the level of community protection we need to stop this pandemic," Dr. Nachman says.

Can Kids Be Around People Who Have Been Vaccinated?

Some families question whether kids can interact withvaccinated relatives—such as grandparents.

病毒疫苗本身不能运输others. “None of the vaccinations have any live or killed whole-cell virus,” says Dr. Nachman. “So, there is no chance that either the person who got a vaccine will get COVID-19 from their vaccine, or that any close family member will get COVID-19 from a person who just got a vaccine.”

Studies are ongoing to learn to what extent a vaccinated person can transmit COVID-19. Early data are promising regarding the vaccines' ability to limit transmission.When it comes to more infectious variants, even though fully vaccinated people with breakthrough cases can be contagious, they seem to spread the virus for a shorter period than unvaccinated people.

As previously stated, children can also be infected and transmit the virus. In addition, the vaccines are not 100% effective, meaning a person is still at risk—albeit lower—of contracting COVID-19 even after receiving all required doses.

Unvaccinated people should take special precautions, such as masking, maintaining social distance, and maintaining proper hygiene when they are around others outside of their household. Even if you are vaccinated, the CDC continues to recommend wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces when local transmission levels are high.

Can You Receive a Vaccine If You're Pregnant or Breastfeeding?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other top U.S. medical organizations strongly encourage people to be vaccinated against COVID-19 while they are pregnant or breastfeeding.

A study of 35,691 pregnant people found that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines do not appear to have any serious risks for pregnant people. The self-reported data was from the CDC's V-safe smartphone-based surveillance system and the CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and did not include outcomes from any people vaccinated in the first trimester of pregnancy.

While there’s no evidence that the COVID vaccine is riskier for a pregnant person, having the actual virus can be. “While the absolute risk for severe COVID-19 infection is low, the data show that symptomatic pregnant women are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant adults,” saysJennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron, MD, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist with Fertility Centers of Illinois.

“It’s important to note that Black and Latinx individuals who are pregnant appear to have a disproportionately higher prevalence of COVID-19 infection and death," Dr. Hirshfeld-Cytron says.

Some vaccines may be a better choice for you than others during pregnancy. For example, in early April 2021, the CDC and FDA paused the J&J vaccination programs due to concerns about a rare form of a blood clot occurring in roughly six out of 6.8 million vaccine recipients. The FDA and CDC lifted the pause after a thorough safety review, however, the J&J vaccine is now only recommended for limited populations.

Based on recent data, pregnant and recently pregnant people do not appear to be at greater risk for blood clots after receiving the J&J vaccine. However, the CDC advises that women under 50 be aware of the rare risk of blood clots associated with the J&J vaccine and notes that other vaccines have not had this associated risk.

In a January 2021 study fromJAMA Pediatrics, researchers found that coronavirus antibodies transferred across the placenta to the baby in 87% of cases.Further research is necessary to find out if vaccinations may work similarly.

“Vaccination during pregnancyhas the added benefit of helping to protect your baby for their first few months of life with passive transfer of maternal antibody to an infant after 36 weeks gestation,” says Dr. Nachman.

Avaccinated person who is breastfeedingmay also be able to give antibodies to their baby. “Vaccination while lactating has similar benefits to babies with passive transfer of antibody to baby via breast milk,” Dr. Nachman adds.

Can the COVID-19 Vaccines Impact Fertility?

The COVID-19 vaccine cannot negatively impact a person’sfertility. This myth started after a November story claimed that the “head of Pfizer research” called the Pfizer vaccine “female sterilization.”

Not only is the claim untrue and not an accurate representation of what was said, but the person in question,Michael Yeadon, hasn’t worked for Pfizer since 2011, and he was never involved in vaccine development.

The myth alleges that a protein in the placenta, synctin-1, may resemble the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus enough that antibodies made in response to the vaccine would somehow target the placenta. "This is completely untrue,” says Dr. Nachman. "With all of the individuals who had COVID-19, we have not seen any drop in female fertility.”

Hirshfeld-Cytron concurs, “Because the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are not composed of live virus, they are not thought to cause an increased risk of infertility, first or second-trimester loss, stillbirth, or congenital anomalies.

In addition, a study published in 2021 found that the COVID vaccine does not impactmale fertility.Semen tests of participants before and after vaccination found no significant decreases in sperm parameters.

What Are the Potential Side Effects of the Vaccines?

Like any vaccine, the available options for COVID have potential side effects. According to the CDC, common side effects of COVID-19 vaccines include:

• Flu-like symptoms (such as tiredness, headache, chills, fever, nausea) for a day or two
• General muscle soreness
  
• Pain, redness, and swelling in the arm
  

The effects you feel may be different between the two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. “Some report the second of two jabs brings on more side effects than the first since your immune system is ramped up at that point,” saysWilliam W. Li, MD, a physician and scientist. “Some special precautions exist for people who have severe allergic reactions to past vaccines, who have severe food allergies, or those who have had cosmetic fillers.”

Dr. Li notes that the 15-minute observation period post-injection in the presence of healthcare staff is for catching any serious reactions. You can relieve side effects by:

• Applying a cool cloth over the injection site
• Avoiding tight-fitting clothes around the injection site
• Drinking plenty of fluids
  
• Moving your arm after you get the shot
  

While the potential side effects of receiving a COVID vaccine can be irritating, the impact of catching the virus is far worse. “The risks of not being vaccinated are much higher than receiving the vaccine. As with everything in medicine, it is about the risk versus benefit,” says Dr. Li.

“The vaccine has much more benefit, from an individual and societal perspective, than risk. Everyone wants out of the pandemic—and getting vaccinated is the first major step to get there,” says Dr. Li.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.