COVID-19 VACCINE & LUPUS BY LUPUS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA UPDATED MARCH 8, 2021
There is still a lot that we don’t know about the vaccines that are being studied and developed to prevent COVID-19. Currently there are three vaccines made by different companies that have been approved in the U.S. We are closely monitoring the FDA’s approval process and latest research so that we can keep you informed. You and your doctor should decide together if the vaccine is right for you and, if so, which one. How do the COVID-19 vaccines work? The Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine use a new technology that relies on messenger RNA (mRNA) from the virus to teach the body how to protect against COVID-19. The Janssen vaccine uses a harmless virus (NOT the virus that causes COVID-19) to deliver a type of protein from SARS-
CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) to the immune system that teaches it to recognize and fight COVID-19. The harmless virus used for the vaccine cannot give you COVID-19. Vaccines are studied in thousands of people before they are given to the general public. It isn’t possible, however, to study each vaccine in every type of person before it is approved. The FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the companies that make the vaccines will continue to study their safety and effectiveness even after they are approved.
a response from the immune system. The Pfizer vaccine is given in two doses three weeks apart and the Moderna vaccine is given in two doses one month apart. For both vaccines it is more common to have side effects from the second dose than the first. You must receive both doses to get the full benefit from the vaccine.
Can I get COVID-19 from the vaccine? No. It is not possible to get COVID-19 from any of the vaccines that have been approved or are currently being reviewed by the FDA. Does the vaccine have side effects? Many people in the clinical trials had some short-term side effects from taking the COVID-19 vaccines. The side effects are usually not serious -- one of the most common is a sore or achy arm. Some people develop low-grade fevers or chills and feel tired. This is because the vaccine is working and causing
In most cases these side effects are not dangerous and will go away on their own within a short time. Please call your doctor if these side effects last for more than two days or if you have side effects that are more severe.
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