COVID-19 Resources for Patients

COVID-19 vaccine boosters can further enhance or restore protection that might have decreased over time after your primary series vaccination. People are protected best from severe COVID-19 illness when they stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, which includes getting all recommended boosters when eligible.¹⁸

There are many vaccines that need booster shots, many of which you probably already got as a child. Some vaccines that need boosters include Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, MMR, and Varicella.²⁰

Booster eligibility depends on several factors such as age, health conditions, and amount of time since your last shot.

Everyone ages 5 years and older should get 1 booster after completing their COVID-19 vaccine primary series. Adults ages 50 years and older and people ages 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should get 2 boosters.¹⁸

To determine your booster eligibility, you can use this tool on the CDC’s website.

If you initially got an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), you are able to get either a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster — it can be the same one that you got for your primary series, or it can be different!¹⁸

If you initially got Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, preliminary studies show that your immune system will see a greater benefit from a booster dose of one of the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).¹⁹

Beginning January 15, 2022, individuals with private health insurance coverage or covered by a group health plan who purchase an over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test authorized, cleared, or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be able to have those test costs covered by their plan or insurance. Insurance companies and health plans are required to cover 8 free over-the-counter at-home tests per covered individual per month. That means a family of four, all on the same plan, would be able to get up to 32 of these tests covered by their health plan per month. Learn more here.

NO. COVID-19 vaccines do not interact with DNA.⁶

NO. The government does not require vaccinations. However, state and local governments as well as employers may require vaccinations for specific purposes.⁶

NO. Current vaccines do not cause recipients to test positive on any viral tests.⁶

NO. None of the emergency authorized vaccines use a live virus. Some people may feel symptoms after receiving the vaccine, but these are due to your body’s response to the vaccine as it builds fighter cells called antibodies. Any sickness that you may feel is likely due to your body making fighter cells, and they are not COVID-19 symptoms.⁶

YES. There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause any problems with pregnancy. In fact, the same number of women have been able to get pregnant after getting a COVID-19 shot when compared to women who have not had the shot at all.⁶

YES. Alcohol sanitizers have NOT been shown to create any relevant health issues when used properly.⁷

NO. Once you’ve sanitized your hands, you have disinfected them from any germs that may have been present on the bottle.

NO. Masks will not cause decreases in oxygen level.⁸

A variant is a strain of the virus which has changed through mutation. Sometimes new variants emerge and then disappear, and other times they persist. New variants are expected to occur.⁹ 

As of August 6, 2021, there are 4 variants of concern in the United States: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.⁹

Some variants, such as Delta, spread more easily and quickly than others, which could lead to an increase in cases. An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on healthcare resources, lead to more hospitalizations, and potentially more deaths.⁹

Currently authorized vaccines are effective against all variants of concern in the U.S. All vaccines are particularly effective against severe illness, hospitalization and death.⁹

• NO. The vaccines use a modified version of a different virus (the vector).¹¹

• First, the vector enters a cell in our body and then uses the cell’s machinery to produce a harmless piece of the virus that causes COVID-19. This piece is known as a spike protein and it is only found on the surface of the virus.
• Next, the cell displays the spike protein on its surface and our immune system recognizes it doesn’t belong there. Our immune system then begins producing antibodies and activates other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection.
• At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect us against future infection with the virus that causes COVID-19.¹¹

NO. Viral vectors cannot cause infection with COVID-19.¹¹

NO. Viral vector vaccines do not interact with DNA in any way.¹¹

Johnson & Johnson

Reports of adverse events following the use of J&J/Janssen vaccine suggest an increased risk of a rare adverse event called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). Nearly all reports of this serious condition, which involves blood clots with low platelets, have been in adult women younger than 50 years old.¹⁴

A review of all available data at this time shows that the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks.¹⁴

Women younger than 50 years old especially should be aware of the rare but increased risk of this adverse event and that there are other COVID-19 vaccine options available for which this risk has not been seen.¹⁴