Yes! We recommend that everyone be vaccinated. It's safe and effective.

Getting vaccinated is good for you, your family and friends - and it helps us get to "herd immunity" that can stop the pandemic.

There are 3 vaccines available in the United States.

Pfizer vaccine: people ages 12 and older.

Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines: people ages 18 and older.

Most people will have pain or redness at the injection site that does not interfere with daily activities. Fatigue and muscle aches are other common side effects. Usually, these side effects last 1-2 days.

You may have heard about blood clotting problems with some vaccines. These events are rare – about 1-2 people per million vaccinated. When the CDC vaccine committee looked at this, they concluded the known benefits of vaccines outweigh potential risks.

 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/JJUpdate.html

Probably not. We will ask you a series of questions about how you are feeling. If you have a fever, fatigue, muscle aches or a flu-like illness, you should wait until those symptoms are gone before you are vaccinated.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are 95% effective at reducing COVID infection; the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a bit lower. If a vaccinated person gets a COVID infection, the infection does not get worse or require going to the hospital.

In young people, ages 12-15, the Pfizer vaccine was 100% effective at preventing any COVID infection in people who were vaccinated.

Yes, based on our experience so far. The Moderna vaccine trial had a small number of people living with HIV in the trial. All of them did well and responded to the vaccine. Side effects in people with HIV were the same as with other groups in the trial.

Moderna and other manufacturers are doing separate studies of vaccine in people living with HIV - so more information will follow.

Yes. Data from a U.S. CDC pregnancy registry did not find an increased risk of miscarriage among nearly 2,500 pregnant women who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Learn more:

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0811-vaccine-safe-pregnant.html

Yes. In fact, people with underlying medical problems are at high risk for complications from COVID infection and will benefit from the vaccine. The vaccine reduces the risk of COVID infection and reduces the risk of severe disease and hospitalization.

No. None of the vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that the vaccine can't make you sick with COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccines are effective against severe disease and death from variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 currently circulating in the United States, including the Delta variant.

Infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant. When these infections occur among vaccinated people, they tend to be mild.

If you are fully vaccinated and become infected with the Delta variant, you might be able to spread the virus to others.

People with weakened immune systems, including people who take immunosuppressive medications, may not be protected even if fully vaccinated.

If you are not fully vaccinated and aged 2 or older, you should wear a mask in indoor public places.

In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings. In areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may not be fully protected even if they are fully vaccinated. They should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, including wearing a well-fitted mask, until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.

If you are fully vaccinated, to maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

See CDC recommendations for details:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

At Trillium Health, we require universal masking at all locations.