Frequently Asked Questions About COVID

No, you should never be asked to show proof of U.S. residency to receive a COVID vaccine.

Yes, about 30% of U.S. clinical trial participants were Hispanic, Black, Asian, or Native American, and about half were older adults. Each vaccine was tested and found effective across all age, gender, racial and ethnic backgrounds. There were no significant safety concerns identified in these or any other groups.

An EUA includes the same steps taken in full-term clinical trials – including testing the vaccine on thousands of human participants – only with a shortened timeline.

Yes, while mRNA vaccines work differently than other types of vaccines, they still trigger an immune response inside your body. This immune response, which produces antibodies, is what helps protect us from getting sick from that germ in the future, and research and development on this type of vaccine has been underway for decades.

While the ingredients vary by vaccine manufacturer, nearly all the ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines are also found in many foods, including lipids, acids, salts, and sugars. COVID vaccines do not contain ingredients like preservatives, tissues, antibiotics, food proteins, medicines, latex or metals.

No, COVID-19 vaccines do not alter DNA. The mRNA strand is destroyed within a few hours—it cannot affect a person’s DNA, and long-term side effects from the vaccine are very unlikely.

Side effects after getting a COVID-19 vaccine can vary from person to person. These symptoms do not mean you are sick. They are a signal that your immune system is responding to the shot and building up protection against the coronavirus. Some commonly reported side effects are:

• Tiredness
• Headache
• Muscle Pain
• Nausea
• Chills
• Fever

Yes, mild adverse events including tiredness, headache, fever, and muscle pain are common side effects following immunization for COVID-19 and are comparable to routine vaccines. These symptoms usually go away in a few days. Severe adverse events (SAEs) after COVID vaccination are rare but do occur, typically within six weeks of getting a vaccine. Some severe adverse reactions have been reported such as anaphylaxis (an allergic reaction that can occur after any kind of vaccination), thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (a condition that can cause blood clots), and myocarditis and pericarditis (heart conditions associated with mRNA vaccines). These adverse reactions occur in approximately 4-5 cases per one million doses administered. More than 7.2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to people around the world since 2021, and vaccine safety experts continue to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and all adverse reactions of concern.

Some women have reported temporary changes in their menstrual cycle after receiving a COVID vaccine and research is still being conducted to evaluate those reactions; however, there is currently no evidence suggesting that vaccines cause fertility problems in women or men. In fact, many people have become pregnant after receiving the COVID vaccine.