COVID-19 Vaccines FAQs
Vaccines are not the only way to stop the virus, but they are our best chance of returning to normal. The current COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis, with devastating health, social, and economic impacts. COVID-19 vaccines are a long-term solution to tackle the virus.
The more people who get COVID-19 vaccines, the more successful we will be at:
- helping to stop the spread of the virus and protecting our communities especially from potentially more dangerous variants of concern.
- lowering the number of COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths and helping to protect our health systems.
- allowing people and businesses to get back to normal.
We know from the past that vaccines are very important to public health and provide great value to society.
The WHO estimates that vaccines currently save about 4 to 5 million lives each year globally.
Public health officials and scientific experts decide, depending on the availability of vaccines, who in their country or region will get the vaccines first. There may be differences in these prioritized populations in different countries and regions. The World Health Organization (WHO) and health authorities in different countries have recommended prioritizing the following groups to get the vaccines first:
- People who have a higher chance of exposure to the virus.
- People who have a higher chance of having severe COVID-19 illness.
The aim is to have enough doses to protect those considered to be the most at-risk, for example:
- Healthcare workers.
- People with underlying health conditions.
- Older people, typically those aged 60 years and older
The aim is also to make sure that people of all countries, regardless of income levels, have fair access to COVID-19 vaccines.
It may be recommended to get a vaccine even if you had COVID-19.
Scientists have not yet figured out how much protection people have after recovering from a COVID-19 infection, or how long the protection may last. Some early studies suggest that immunity after natural infection may fade more quickly in certain people, especially if you have had mild or no symptoms. The data that is currently available suggests that a symptomatic reinfection within 6 months after an initial infection is rare. Therefore, people who have already had COVID-19 may choose to delay vaccination until near the end of this period. When more data on duration of immunity after natural infection become available, the length of this time period may be revised.
If you have concerns, talk to your doctor about whether or not you should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Anyone, at any age, can get sick with COVID-19 and become seriously ill or die. COVID-19 can cause serious, long-term, or life-threatening health problems, and there is no way to know how it will affect you. Also, if you get the virus, you could spread it to friends, family, and other people around you.
Younger adults are less likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than older adults, but it does happen. They can also have severe and lasting symptoms, especially if they have underlying health conditions. This is why health authorities are offering the vaccine to younger adults and teenagers in countries where the highest risk groups have already been vaccinated.
Vaccines can also help prevent spreading of the virus. Many young adults work in areas where they have a high chance of being exposed to COVID-19, such as bars and restaurants, schools, child care centers, and retail shops. College students can be affected by campus outbreaks and spread the virus when they return home. Breaking chains of transmission within the community and limiting onward spread is critical. By getting vaccinated, younger adults can help protect people who may not be able to get vaccinated.
In countries where vaccine supplies are low, public health authorities continue to prioritize people with the highest risk of exposure to COVID-19, and severe illness from it, to get the vaccine first. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people at high risk include:
- People aged 60 years and over.
- People with a high chance of having serious illness from COVID-19 including those with long-term medical problems like high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, diabetes, obesity, or cancer.
For the moment, based on what we know about the currently authorized or approved vaccines, the WHO and CDC says they do not have any specific reason to believe there will be specific risks that would outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women. For this reason, those pregnant women at high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (e.g. health workers) or who have comorbidities which add to their risk of severe disease, may be vaccinated in consultation with their doctor.
Vaccine makers and regulatory agencies are carefully tracking what happens to women in the clinical trials who became pregnant and pregnant women who decided to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnant women may be included in future clinical trials.
If you are pregnant and have concerns, talk to your doctor about whether or not you should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
There is currently no COVID-19 vaccine authorized or approved for children under the age of 6 months, and age recommendations can vary by country with certain COVID-19 vaccines authorized or approved for those over the age of 6 months, 2, 3, 5, 11, 12, 16 or 18 years. Age-based recommendations may change in the future.
If you have had a serious allergic reaction in the past to medicines, vaccines, or food, you should talk to your doctor before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. You and your doctor will need to consider the possible risks of infection versus the benefits of getting a vaccine.
If you currently have confirmed or suspected COVID-19, wait until your acute symptoms have passed and speak to your doctor before getting vaccinated.
If you have concerns, talk to your doctor about whether or not you should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not predict that getting a COVID-19 vaccine will be made a mandatory requirement. They are hopeful that health campaigns and making vaccines available to priority risk groups, such as hospital workers and the elderly, will work best to encourage people to get vaccinated.
However, there may be some countries or certain situations in countries where professional organizations may need to require or highly recommend some people get vaccinated.
If you have concerns, talk to your doctor about whether or not you should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Currently, no authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine can be given to children under the age of 6 months.
Age recommendations vary by country with certain COVID-19 vaccines authorized or approved for those over the age of 6 months, 2, 3, 5, 11, 12, 16 or 18 years. Age-based recommendations may change in the future. If you have concerns, talk to your local healthcare provider, doctor or public health authority.
Although all age groups can get infected with COVID-19, current data seems to suggest that children have fewer deaths compared to other age groups, and do not seem to suffer from COVID-19 symptoms at the rates adults do. However, infected children or teens can experience serious outcomes and they can still spread the virus to other more vulnerable people, even if they have mild symptoms or do not feel ill.
If you wish to be vaccinated against COVID-19, you should first find out more about your country’s specific vaccination plan and if certain at risk groups have been prioritized. Like with all other medicines and vaccines, there are strict government and health authority guidelines in each country concerning who can distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccines. All currently authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines are solutions that have to be injected with a syringe after being carefully prepared by a medical professional and stored and transported under special conditions.
With current supplies of COVID-19 vaccines limited and prioritized for certain at risk people, you should be aware that fake COVID-19 vaccines are unfortunately being sold on the Internet. These fraudulent products either contain no active ingredients and are therefore ineffective, or contain wrong ingredients or dangerous substances that can endanger people’s health.
If you have concerns, talk to your local healthcare provider, doctor or public health authority.
We need vaccines to make the world safer for our families and for yours
People in the biopharmaceutical industry work across a number of different disease areas, in a wide variety of roles. By working together, we can give vaccines a better chance to make an even greater impact on our health, our world, and everyone who lives in it.
