Your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine answered with Dr. Alsip at University Health

SANTO ANTÓNIO – As the COVID-19 vaccines are still relatively new, it is understandable that many people still have doubts about how it works, who should take it and how much protection it offers.

The University’s Chief Medical Director of Health, Dr. Bryan Alsip, answered some of the most frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccines. You can read your answers below and watch a video in the video player above.

How much protection does a first dose of the vaccine offer?

The best protection comes from two doses in a series of two doses, but the data available for the two vaccines that are currently authorized indicate that a single dose offers some protection of 50 to 80 percent effectiveness.

When do you start to develop immunity after the first dose?

The initial response comes about two weeks after your dose of the vaccine, it is almost as long as it takes for your immunity to work, your antibodies to develop and so on.

What should I do if I feel bad after getting the vaccine?

Side effects are common with both vaccines currently authorized, but tend to be relatively minor. Most people report tenderness or swelling at the injection site, headache, fatigue, sometimes body aches and rarely fever. And in these cases, most of the time, people can take acetaminophen or Tylenol or ibuprofen to help with these symptoms. In general, they also only last 24 or 48 hours.

What happens if I don’t take my second dose?

Well, nothing happens, say, but so far, we would really like people to continue taking this second dose, if possible, because it really offers the highest level of effectiveness, probably around 90 to 95 percent for both vaccines that are currently available.

What happens if the second dose is delayed for some reason?

Since we want people to take the second dose of the two-dose series, the goal would be to take it as soon as possible. Like most vaccines, you can always take your second dose later than the interval indicates. But since the studies were actually done based on the twenty-one or twenty-eight day interval, it is important to try to get the second dose as close as possible.

Is the booster different from the initial dose?

The (second) injection is the same – same dose, same volume, but it increases your immunity, hence the name to offer, you know, the highest level of vaccine effectiveness. And presumably it also allows the vaccine to work longer.

Do we know how long the vaccine protection lasts?

We do not. There are some recent reports from Moderna that say they think it lasts at least a year and this may also be true for the Pfizer vaccine, as they are very similar. So the hope is that it will be something that would give at least a year in terms of protection.

Can I receive a different vaccine if it is available when it is time for my second injection?

Currently it is not recommended to mix the vaccine, so whatever brand you receive in the first dose, you should try to get the same in the second dose.

Should pregnant women receive the vaccine?

The COVID vaccine is indicated for pregnant women and pregnancy is on the list of priority diseases for Phase 1B. This was outlined by the Texas specialist vaccine allocation panel. I think it is often recommended that pregnant women discuss their particular situation with their doctor just to see what works best for them.

Should I get the vaccine even if I have already taken COVID-19?

For COVID infection, natural immunity is relatively unknown and may vary between individuals. And so it is felt that the vaccine, which has been shown to be effective in reducing symptomatic diseases, is the best way to guarantee immunity and should also last longer.

When I get vaccinated, can I stop using a mask?

The answer is no. The clinical trials used to study vaccines have not really determined whether the vaccine prevents transmission. Therefore, it is very possible that getting a vaccine will reduce your likelihood of getting sick, but still allow you to pass that disease on to someone who has not been vaccinated or is still vulnerable. Therefore, the recommendations are at least until we have enough people immunized to maintain the protections that we have made.

If my friends and I are vaccinated, can we be together without masks?

If everyone around you has been immunized, it is very likely that everyone is protected from the symptomatic effects of the disease. But since any of you can still transmit the disease, you must be very cautious about how close you are to other people. I think this is the important message to remember.

Does the vaccine prevent disease or just symptoms?

In fact, we don’t know if the vaccine prevents you from being infected, but we do know that the efficacy data supports what is essentially the prevention of symptomatic diseases. Therefore, you are much less likely to get sick if you get the vaccine than if you don’t have it.