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Covid-19 | Vaccine Benefits

COVID-19 vaccination will help keep you from getting COVID-19

ver the past year, we have learned so much about COVID-19 and even have multiple vaccines rolling out across the country. Each day new information surfaces about both the virus and the vaccines.
  • All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19. Learn more about the different COVID-19 vaccines.
  • All COVID-19 vaccines that are in development are being carefully evaluated in clinical trials and will be authorized or approved only if they make it substantially less likely you will get COVID-19. Learn more about how federal partners are ensuring COVID-19 vaccines work.
  • Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine also helps keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.
  • Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
  • Experts continue to conduct studies to learn more about how COVID-19 vaccination may reduce spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Different COVID-19 Vaccines

Do not wait for a specific brand.
The best COVID-19 vaccine is the first one that is available to you. All currently authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines: 
are safe, 
are effective, 
and reduce your risk of severe illness.

What you need to know about COVISHIELD?

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is being manufactured locally by The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. It says it is producing more than 60 million doses a month.
The vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees. It has been modified to look more like coronavirus - although it can't cause illness.
Covishield was one of the first vaccines approved for use and primarily used in India, since January 2021. While it too is a traditional vaccine, Dr Kataria warns that younger people, opting for the Oxford-Astrazeneca jab tend to feel more intense side effects than those who get Covaxin. Several reports also mention that Covishield showcases more immunogenic response (hence, making the way for more side effects).

What do we know about COVAXIN?

It has been developed by the company Bharat Biotech India (BBIL) in collaboration with ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV). It is an “inactivated” vaccine — one made by using particles of the Covid-19 virus that were killed, making them unable to infect or replicate. Injecting particular doses of these particles serves to build immunity by helping the body create antibodies against the dead virus, according to BBIL.

What do we know about SPUTNIK V?

The vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, initially generated some controversy after being rolled out before the final trial data had been released.But scientists say its benefits have now been demonstrated.It uses a cold-type virus, engineered to be harmless, as a carrier to deliver a small fragment of the coronavirus to the body.Safely exposing the body to a part of the virus's genetic code in this way allows it to recognise the threat and learn to fight it off, without the risk of becoming ill.
After being vaccinated, the body starts to produce antibodies especially tailored to the coronavirus.This means that the immune system is primed to fight coronavirus when it encounters it for real.It can be stored at temperatures of between 2 and 8C degrees (a standard fridge is roughly 3-5C degrees) making it easier to transport and store.

Once you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing more

“Getting vaccinated can decrease the chances of hospitalisation and requirement of supplementation of oxygen with more chances of recovery at-home.”
A vaccinated individual may develop antibodies that can neutralise the virus, and break the chain of transmission. This leads to the development of herd immunity once the significant population is vaccinated and has circulating antibodies for the same.    
  • After you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, you may be able to start doing some things that you stopped doing because of the pandemic. For example, you can gather indoors without masks with other people who are fully vaccinated.
  • We are still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. Until we know more about how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19, people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and washing your hands often.
  • People are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after their second dose of the COVISHIELD or COVAXIN,. Recently, the Sputnik V vaccine was also approved for launch in India. You should keep using all the tools available to protect yourself and others until you are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 vaccination is a safer way to help build protection

COVID-19 can have serious, life-threatening complications, and there is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you. And if you get sick, you could spread the disease to friends, family, and others around you.
Clinical trials for all vaccines must first show they are safe and effective before any vaccine can be authorized or approved for use, including COVID-19 vaccines. The known and potential benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine must outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine before it is used under what is known as an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Watch a video explaining an EUA.
Getting COVID-19 may offer some protection, known as natural immunity. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the months after initial infection, but may increase with time. The risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody (immune system) response without having to experience sickness.
 Both natural immunity and immunity produced by a vaccine are important parts of COVID-19 disease that experts are trying to learn more about, and CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.

COVID-19 vaccination will be an important tool to help stop the pandemic

Wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart from others help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.
A growing body of evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people are less likely to be infected without showing symptoms (called an asymptomatic infection) and potentially less likely to spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to others. However, further investigation is ongoing.
Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. As experts learn more about how COVID-19 vaccination may help reduce spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, CDC will continue to update its recommendations to protect communities using the latest science. 

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective

We understand that some people may be concerned about getting vaccinated now that COVID-19 vaccines are available in the United States. While more COVID-19 vaccines are being developed as quickly as possible, routine processes and procedures remain in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine that is authorized or approved for use. Safety is a top priority, and there are many reasons to get vaccinated.

When can I get the vaccine?

Initial supplies are limited while the country is ramping up manufacturing of the vaccine. For this reason, the vaccine is being distributed in a phased approach based on recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—starting with health care workers and long-term care facilities, followed by frontline essential workers and people over 65 years of age.
Prioritization and timing for distribution to the general public will vary by state and, in some cases, by county. So, it may be a bit confusing when friends and family in other geographic locations are hearing different things than you are about the vaccine. For the best advice on how to proceed, visit your state or county health department website for the latest information about your area.

Debunking the COVID-19 vaccine myths

While social media has given us a platform to share whatever we want, false information, particularly as it pertains to the vaccines, can dilute their life-saving value and stir up fear and doubt. So, it’s no surprise there has been some questionable information out there about the COVID-19 vaccines. See the infographic below to help set the record straight on some common myths.