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What to Know About the Coronavirus Vaccines
Questions continue as millions of Americans get immunized and boosted
Manjurul/Getty Images Latest updates
White House launches new COVID-19 vaccine push. Minutes before he received the latest COVID-19 vaccine booster on Oct. 25, President Joe Biden renewed his call to all Americans to get the bivalent booster to protect against an anticipated surge of the virus this fall and winter. Included in the actions the administration announced were tactics designed to persuade more older Americans to get the latest vaccination. In the coming week, Medicare plans to send a second email reminder to more than 16 million beneficiaries who signed up for updates on the new vaccines. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has added a message about the updated vaccines that Medicare enrollees will hear when they call the Medicare hotline (1-800-MEDICARE) during open enrollment, which lasts until Dec. 7. CMS expects to reach about 5 million people through that message. The administration is also working with a number of pharmacies and ride-hailing companies to deliver Paxlovid, an oral COVID-19 treatment, to the homes of people who live in socially vulnerable and underserved communities. The data shows a steady decline in the number of Americans who are getting shots beyond the primary vaccination series. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of Oct. 19, 19.4 million Americans age 5 and older had received the new bivalent booster. That compares to nearly 227 U.S. residents who completed their primary vaccination series, 111 million who got the first booster and nearly 27 million who received a second booster. CDC authorizes Novavax booster for adults. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has approved the Novavax COVID-19 booster for adults age 18 and older. In her decision memo, Walensky gives these adults the option “to receive a Novavax monovalent booster instead of an updated (bivalent) Pfizer-DBioNTech or Moderna booster if they have completed primary series vaccination but have not previously received a COVID-19 booster — and if they cannot or will not receive mRNA vaccines.” This authorization comes on the heels of Novavax’s two-shot COVID-19 vaccine series being approved for ages 12 to 17 as well as for adults 18 and older. The two doses of the Novavax vaccine are given three weeks apart. Novavax’s product uses a different, more traditional technology than the other COVID-19 vaccines on the market. Instead of prompting the body to make its own version of the spike protein (a key part of the virus), the protein is made in a lab and delivered directly upon injection. “If you have been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine built on a different technology than those previously available, now is the time to join the millions of Americans who have been vaccinated,” Walensky said when the vaccine was first authorized for adults in July. “With COVID-19 cases on the rise again across parts of the country, vaccination is critical to help protect against the complications of severe COVID-19 disease.” Health officials OK new boosters for younger kids. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded its authorization for the new bivalent boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to include kids as young as 5, and the CDC has signed off on this decision, paving the way for a younger population to ramp up their protection against COVID-19 ahead of the cold-weather months. Several weeks ago, the retooled shots — which target the original strain of the coronavirus and also the omicron subvariants that are currently driving the majority of infections in the U.S. — became available to Americans 12 and older. Health officials have said that they expect the updated boosters will provide a higher level of protection against infection, illness and death during the fall and winter, when respiratory illnesses tend to surge. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha, M.D., is encouraging Americans to get the booster by Halloween, to ensure protection is in place before the holidays. CDC recommends vaccinations for young children. Rochelle Walensky, M.D., director of the CDC, recommended on June 18 that parents have children ages 6 months to 5 years vaccinated, accepting the findings of the FDA and CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. “I encourage parents and caregivers with questions to talk to their doctor, nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by getting them vaccinated,” Walensky said in a statement. The FDA on June 17 authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for that youngest age group and also authorized Moderna’s vaccine for ages 6 to 17. In May, health officials had recommended that kids 5 and older who have been vaccinated with Pfizer’s two-shot series get a booster. FDA restricts use of Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine. Americans 18 and older who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 should only get the Johnson & Johnson shot if the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are not available or medically appropriate, or if getting the J&J product is the only way they will get vaccinated, federal regulators said on May 5 in an update to the vaccine’s emergency use authorization. The reason, the FDA noted in its announcement, is due to a rare but life-threatening complication called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), which was first linked to the J&J vaccine in the spring of 2021. Health officials have since been monitoring and investigating all cases of TTS, which develops when blood clots form and an individual also has low levels of blood platelets. The majority of cases — there have been 60 as of March 2022 — have been in women; most have been younger than 50. TTS has not been linked to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which use an mRNA technology different from J&J’s. The CDC in December recommended the mRNA vaccines over J&J’s product “in most situations.” Researchers around the world have been working at record speed to develop vaccines to combat . Less than a year after the start of the pandemic, that goal became a reality. Two vaccines (from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) have received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and two other s (from Johnson & Johnson and Novavax) are being administered under a limited emergency use authorization (EUA). This FDA designation allows access to treatments and other medical tools during a public health emergency when no other options exist. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. What exactly is a vaccine
A vaccine is something that helps a person build up immunity to an infectious disease. It works by intentionally introducing the body to an inactive form of a disease-causing germ, or something similar to it. This then stimulates the immune system’s production of antibodies, the proteins that help to protect the person from a future infection. Think of it like a workout for your immune system: You’re “sending it to the gym and preparing it to be able to do something” in case it meets up with the germ, explains Tony Moody, associate professor of pediatrics and immunology at the Duke University School of Medicine and a principal investigator at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. “Essentially, what a vaccine is doing is teaching the immune system how to handle something before you actually encounter the real thing — so that, hopefully, when you do encounter the real thing, you’re able to deal with it quickly and get rid of it,” he says. What coronavirus vaccines are available now
The vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna , Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Novavax are the only products available to Americans. The CDC recommends the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines over the J&J vaccine single-shot version because a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder has been linked to it. But J&J’s vaccine is still available for people who are “unable or unwilling to receive an mRNA vaccine,” the CDC says. Pfizer’s vaccine is approved for people 16 and older but is available for people ages 6 months through 15 years under emergency use authorization. Moderna’s vaccine is also authorized for kids 6 months and up and is approved for people 18 and older. Both vaccines from Novavax and J&J are authorized for people 18 and older. The four vaccines lower your risk of getting infected with the virus and have been found to be highly effective at preventing severe illness from an infection. Hospitalizations in May 2022 were 3.8 times higher in unvaccinated individuals ages 65 and older, compared to their vaccinated and boosted peers, federal data shows. Health & Wellness Access AARP health Smart Guides, articles and special content See more Health & Wellness offers > More serious reactions have occurred but are rare. Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, has happened in a small number of people after COVID vaccination, the CDC says. This is why you may be asked to wait about 15 minutes after your shot or booster to monitor for symptoms. Vaccines providers are equipped with medicines to quickly treat the reaction. Health officials are also monitoring rare reports of in adolescents and younger adults who have received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Most of these patients who received care responded well to medicine and felt better quickly, the CDC says. Another uncommon event that has been linked to J&J’s vaccine is a rare but serious clotting disorder, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Sixty cases of the condition were confirmed as of March; nine were fatal. Young women in their 30s and 40s are most at risk. After reviewing evidence of the adverse event, the CDC decided on Dec. 16 to recommend Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines over J&J’s version; months later, the FDA limited its use. J&J’s vaccine, however, is still available to those who are “unable or unwilling” to get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. How much does the vaccine cost
The federal government purchased hundreds of millions of vaccine doses with taxpayer money, so Americans do not have to pay to receive them, including the booster shots. Vaccine providers are able to charge an administration fee for giving the shot, but this fee should be covered by public or private insurance or by a government relief fund for the uninsured. LEARN MORE ABOUT AARP MEMBERSHIP. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. . Have questions? Talk to your doctor. Is it good to have more than one vaccine available
Absolutely. “In fact, it’s highly desirable,” says William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, because that would mean “there would be more vaccine manufacturers working to actually produce the vaccine, and so we could more expeditiously try to vaccinate the population in the United States and beyond.” Kathleen Neuzil, professor in vaccinology and director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, echoes Schaffner’s sentiment and points to the flu vaccine for comparison: There are multiple formulations on the market, including the injectable high-dose vaccine and the nasal spray vaccine, for example, which are recommended for different populations.“We really need every person on Earth, theoretically, to be able to receive this vaccine. So, to me, [having more than one option] is a positive, because we need so much,” she adds. Editor’s note: This article, originally published May 1, 2020, has been updated to reflect new information. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Restaurants offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS