COVID-19
What is it?
COVID-19 is a highly contagious infectious disease. It spreads quickly. Symptoms can vary from person to person. COVID-19 most often causes flu- and cold-like symptoms including fever, body aches, runny and stuffy nose, cough, sore throat, and trouble breathing. It can also cause loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Thankfully, there’s a vaccine to protect against COVID-19.
Why is the vaccine important?
While most people who get COVID-19 have mild symptoms, some can get very sick. Older adults and people with high-risk and chronic health conditions are at highest risk for complications from COVID-19. However, healthy adults and young children can also get very sick from the disease. Some people will develop long-term health effects after infection, called “Long COVID.” Some people also develop heart inflammation during or after COVID-19 infection. Children can get sick after COVID-19 with a disease called MIS-C that causes fever and other symptoms including heart problems.
In the U.S., over 1 million people died from COVID-19 between 2020 and 2024. Nearly 7 million people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 during that time. These numbers would undoubtedly be higher if not for COVID-19 vaccines. In fact, by the end of 2022, COVID-19 vaccines had prevented 18.5 million COVID-19 hospitalizations and 3.2 million COVID-19 deaths in the U.S.
Some people who get the vaccine will catch COVID-19. However, being vaccinated helps protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
Vaccine Recommendations
The CDC recommends three COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Novavax) to protect against COVID-19.
In late 2023, updated formulations of each vaccine were released, and a newer formulation is expected in late 2024. Recommendations for who should get vaccinated depend on age and health status. Generally, everyone 5 years and older should get at least 1 dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who are pregnant, may become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. Younger children (down to 6 months old) need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be fully protected. Learn how to keep your family up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
The vaccine is safe and recommended for people with weakened immune systems. These people may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccines.
The vaccine is fully covered for people with insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. It is also covered for uninsured and Medicaid-eligible children through the Vaccines for Children program. Un- and under-insured adults can get free COVID-19 vaccines through the Bridge Access program (which will end in August 2024).
Side Effects
Vaccines, like any medicine, can cause side effects (also known as "adverse reactions"). Most side effects are mild and go away within a few days. Common side effects include fever, headache, or body aches. Some people may have redness or pain where the shot was given and may feel tired. Side effects are normal. They can even be a good sign that the immune system is working to build antibodies that will fight off future infections!
For COVID-19 vaccines, side effects may also include chills, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes. In rare cases, there have been reports of myocarditis and pericarditis (heart inflammation) after vaccination. There have been about 9 reported cases for every 1 million people vaccinated. Most cases occur in male teens and young adults. Heart inflammation after COVID-19 vaccination is even more rare in younger children. The risk of developing heart inflammation from COVID-19 infection is greater than from vaccination.
Remember, vaccines are continuously studied. They are also closely monitored for safety. Research continues to show that vaccines are safe, and the benefits outweigh the risks. The risk of a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine is rare (about 1 in 1 million). The choice not to vaccinate is ultimately more risky. Not vaccinating may lead to catching a potentially deadly disease.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns about vaccine side effects. In the event of a serious allergic reaction, call 9-1-1.
Common COVID-19 Vaccine Myths
There are many false claims about COVID-19 vaccines. These claims circulate mainly on social media. Often, the claims are intended to scare people. You may have seen information about COVID-19 vaccines tied to these topics:
- Infertility: Studies have found no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility in women or men. It is safe and important for pregnant people to get vaccinated because they are at higher risk for complications from COVID-19. In fact, pregnant people who get COVID-19 are 15 times more likely to die and 22 times more likely to have pre-term births than pregnant people not infected.
- Microchips: COVID-19 vaccines do not contain microchips or any other way to track people. This is physically impossible.
- DNA: COVID-19 vaccines cannot alter a person’s DNA. The trace amounts of viral genetic fragments (RNA) in COVID-19 vaccines cannot enter our cells’ DNA. This is physically impossible. It is helpful to consider that our cells are faced with foreign DNA daily when we eat plants and animals. This process does not change our DNA, just like COVID-19 vaccines don’t.
For more information and answers to specific questions about COVID-19 vaccines, view Immunize Colorado’s COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions.