How long does immunity last and the most common side effects

In the United States, more than 72 million people, or 21% of the population, have received at least one dose of Covid vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And President Joe Biden recently said he would order countries to be eligible for coronavirus vaccines by May 1, all adults 18 years and older.

There are currently three coronavirus vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, from drug manufacturers Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

As vaccine supply increases and more people are eligible for the shot (to check your fitness status, you can use NBC News to plan your vaccination tool), you may have questions about the vaccination process outside of logistics on how to get an appointment . Here’s what you need to know.

The Covid vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer use an innovative vaccine technology called messenger RNA, or mRNA, which gives cells instructions on how to make a non-infectious piece of the coronavirus’ ear protein. Once the immune system detects the copies of the ear protein, it creates antibodies against it. And in the future, if you are exposed to the coronavirus, your body may remember how to make the antibodies to fight it.

In clinical trials, the Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective in preventing laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 disease in people who received both doses, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 95% effective.

J & J’s Covid vaccine, on the other hand, uses adenoviruses, a type of virus that causes colds, as a vehicle to give instructions to cells on how to fight the virus. When the vaccine is injected into people’s arms, it causes the immune system to create antibodies.

J & J’s vaccine was 72% effective against moderate to severe Covid-19 infection in the US, and 66% protective against moderate to severe diseases worldwide.

Each state has its own vaccination plan, so it’s a good idea to start with your state’s or local health department’s website. You can also call your doctor if you are not sure if your specific conditions or underlying factors meet the requirements.

The CDC’s VaccineFinder tool can point you in the direction of suppliers and pharmacies in your area that have the vaccines. (Private practices do not currently receive vaccines for patients, but your doctor may have more insight into how to proceed.) In most places, you will need to make an appointment to get your vaccination.

There may be additional resources managed by volunteers to get a vaccine appointment available to you, depending on where you live. In New York City, for example, the TurboVax website helps suit people with state-run vaccines in the area. Similarly, VaccinateCA helps California residents.

President Biden announced on March 11 that by May 1, a federally-backed find-and-vaccine website would be available. “You no longer have to search day and night for an appointment for you and your loved ones,” he said during the first speech. .

There was a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding the appointment of vaccines. If you are someone who is afraid of needles, then focus on taking deep breaths to relax in the moment and consider talking to the person administering the shot to give distraction.

After your survey, you will be asked to wait 15 minutes to respond. You will also receive a card telling you which vaccine you received and the date on which you must repay your second dose.

It is normal for you to experience some side effects from the Covid vaccines a few days later; it is a sign that your immune system is working. Young people tend to have more intense side effects than older people, because the immune system of young people is more robust.

Common side effects include pain near the injection site, redness and soreness, as well as fatigue, headaches, chills, fever and nausea, which can last up to several days.

In both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, side effects tend to occur more frequently after the second dose, which makes sense: the first dose is intended to elicit an immune response, and the second dose builds on it.

The reported rate of fever and chills was more than four times higher after the second dose of Pfizer’s vaccination compared to the first, according to data from the CDC’s side effect vaccination system collected between 14 December and 13 January .

In Moderna’s clinical trials, less than 1% of people reported fever after the first dose, but 15.6% of vaccine recipients had fever after the second dose.

The CDC says it is okay to take OTC painkillers after the vaccine has dealt with the side effects, but it is not recommended to take them in advance as it may dampen the effectiveness of the vaccine.

You may have also heard of European countries stopping the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (currently not used in the US) after reports that a small number of people developed a specific blood clot after received at least one dose. .

The World Health Organization said Monday that “there is no evidence that the incidents were caused by the vaccine.” Experts say the number of blood clots detected is ‘much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this magnitude, and is similar to other licensed COVID-19 vaccines’, in a statement Sunday .

It takes your body a while to build up an immune response after receiving a vaccine for about two to three weeks, said Dr. Andrew Badley, chairman of the Covid Research Task Force of Mayo Clinic, said on February 17th.

If you receive one of the two doses of Covid vaccine, it means that you have partial immunity to Covid approximately two weeks after the first dose.

Then, ten to 14 days after the second dose of both two-dose vaccines, “you get a tenfold increase in neutralizing antibodies”, said dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, indicated at the World Conference of Precision Medicine. on February 12th.

In clinical trials, J & J’s vaccine showed protection against Covid-related hospitalization and death starting 28 days after vaccination. In J & J’s clinical data, neutralizing antibodies to Covid were picked up in 90% of people after 29 days, and 100% of people 56 days after receiving the shot.

Thus, a person is considered ‘fully vaccinated’ for Covid two weeks after receiving the second dose of a two-dose vaccine (such as Moderna and Pfizer) or two weeks after receiving the single-dose J & J vaccine, according to the CDC. Any time before that time you are not completely protected and you should continue with social distance and wear a mask.

At this stage, it is unclear how long the vaccine-induced immunity to Covid lasts. But Fauci said antibodies can last at least six months and possibly several years. There are other forms of immunity that kick in, such as T cells, that may help with more extensive immunity, but these are currently being studied.

There is emerging evidence that people who are less vaccinated are less likely to transmit the virus to others, according to the CDC. Some early data from Israel suggest that the Pfizer vaccine reduces transmission. And in J & J’s trials, they found a 74% reduction in the development of asymptomatic infection, indicating that the vaccine reduces transmission, the former FDA commissioner, dr. Scott Gottlieb, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on March 1.

The CDC recently issued new guidelines for fully vaccinated people, saying that it is safe to be fully vaccinated to visit with other people who have also been fully vaccinated, as well as some people who have not been vaccinated indoors. without wearing masks or social distance, according to the guidelines.

However, since only 11% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, and there is not enough information about the effect of vaccines on transmission, it is important to keep up with safety precautions outside the home, even if you have a vaccine.

“Everyone – even those who are vaccinated – should continue with all mitigation strategies if they are in the public sphere,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said on March 9.