COVID-19 Vaccines: What You Need to Know
- Everyone aged 6 years and older should get 1 updated Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date.
- People aged 65 years and older may get a 2nd dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
- People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
- Children aged 6 months–5 years may need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date, including at least 1 dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, depending on the number of doses they’ve previously received and their age.
- COVID-19 vaccine recommendations will be updated as needed. For more information please visit the CDC website.
Are there any side effects? What should I expect to feel like after receiving the vaccine?
Yes. The most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and joint pain. Some people in the clinical trials have reported fever. Side effects are more common after the second dose; younger adults, who have more robust immune systems, reported more side effects than older adults.
For more information about potential vaccine side effects, links to the various vaccine manufacturers can be found here, Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax. For additional questions about COVID-19 vaccines, please visit the CDC website here.
Can I still become infected even after receiving the vaccine?
Yes, breakthrough infections have been documented. Thankfully the majority of patients with breakthrough infections have mild symptoms only.
Is there any cost?
Most Americans can still get a COVID-19 vaccine for free. For people with health insurance, most plans will cover COVID-19 vaccine at no cost to you. People who don’t have health insurance or with health plans that do not cover the cost can get a free vaccine from their local health centers; state, local, tribal, or territorial health department; and pharmacies participating in the CDC’s Bridge Access Program.
Vaccine Availability
The Minnesota Department of Health keeps its citizens informed through their “Who’s Getting Vaccinated?” website. For the Duluth campus, the vaccine is available through local hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies in the Duluth community.
Current status for vaccine availability:
- Community vaccination sites are established in Duluth that provide vaccines to eligible individuals. Those with access to vaccines through external partners are encouraged to take that opportunity to be vaccinated.
- The national VaccineFinder website is useful for locating the vaccine at pharmacies and clinics within a certain distance from a zip code.
On behalf of UMD, Dr. David Worley continues to advocate with MDH, St. Louis County, and the UMTC HERO office for UMD students, faculty, and staff to receive vaccines.
Once I get vaccinated, can I still get other people sick?
Yes. The vaccine is intended to protect you from getting seriously sick; however, it may not protect you from spreading the virus to others.