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COVID-19 vaccines: Get the facts

Coronavirus vaccine research Coronavirus vaccine challenges Pathways to develop and produce a COVID-19 vaccine The vaccine development timeline How to protect yourself and prevent COVID-19 infection Content What are the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine? Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine even if I've already had COVID-19? What COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized or approved and how do they work? Can a COVID-19 vaccine give you COVID-19? What are the possible general side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine? What are the long-term side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines? Can COVID-19 vaccines affect the heart? What is the connection between the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and Guillain-Barre syndrome? What are the symptoms of a blood clotting reaction to the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine? Do the COVID-19 vaccines protect against the COVID-19 variants? Are COVID-19 vaccines free? Can I get a COVID-19 vaccine if I have an existing health condition? Is it OK to take an over-the-counter pain medication before or after getting a COVID-19 vaccine? Is there anyone who should not get a COVID-19 vaccine? What are the signs of an allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine? Can I get a COVID-19 vaccine if I have a history of allergic reactions? Can pregnant or breastfeeding women get the COVID-19 vaccine? Can a COVID-19 vaccine affect fertility or menstruation? What COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for kids? If children don’t frequently experience severe illness with COVID-19, why do they need a COVID-19 vaccine? How did the FDA determine the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in kids ages 12 through 15? Can I stop taking safety precautions after getting a COVID-19 vaccine? Can I still get COVID-19 after I’m vaccinated? Are COVID-19 vaccine additional doses or boosters recommended?

Pathways to develop and produce a COVID-19 vaccine

Global health authorities and vaccine developers are currently partnering to support the technology needed to produce vaccines. Some approaches have been used before to create vaccines, but some are still quite new.

Live vaccines

Live vaccines use a weakened (attenuated) form of the germ that causes a disease. This kind of vaccine prompts an immune response without causing disease. The term attenuated means that the vaccine's ability to cause disease has been reduced.

Live vaccines are used to protect against measles, mumps, rubella, smallpox and chickenpox. As a result, the infrastructure is in place to develop these kinds of vaccines.

However, live virus vaccines often need extensive safety testing. Some live viruses can be transmitted to a person who isn't immunized. This is a concern for people who have weakened immune systems.

Inactivated vaccines

Inactivated vaccines use a killed (inactive) version of the germ that causes a disease. This kind of vaccine causes an immune response but not infection. Inactivated vaccines are used to prevent the flu, hepatitis A and rabies.

However, inactivated vaccines may not provide protection that's as strong as that produced by live vaccines. This type of vaccine often requires multiple doses, followed by booster doses, to provide long-term immunity. Producing these types of vaccines might require the handling of large amounts of the infectious virus.

Genetically engineered vaccines

This type of vaccine uses genetically engineered RNA or DNA that has instructions for making copies of the S protein. These copies prompt an immune response to the virus. With this approach, no infectious virus needs to be handled. While genetically engineered vaccines are in the works, none has been licensed for human use.

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