Q: Who will get the vaccine first
A: Initial CDC and State guidance prioritizes those with the highest risk of exposure and mortality to
receive the vaccines first. This initial phase will include health care workers and residents of long-term
care facilities (skilled nursing and assisted living). The next phase will include essential workers
(teachers, police, firefighters, border patrol, transportation, food/agriculture, utilities, etc). The third
phase then will include all adults with high risk medical conditions and those over age 65.
Q: Is the vaccine safe?
A: The vaccine will undergo FDA safety review by independent experts in the field as part of its
Emergency Use Authorization protocol. Aside from mild reactions such as fever, muscle aches, fatigue
and localized injection pain, there has been no serious reported safety concerns from these two
vaccines. The CDC and the FDA will continue to monitor individuals who have received the vaccine to
ensure there’s no evidence of even rare safety issues.
Q: Why should I get the vaccine?
A: For health care workers and those constantly exposed, this vaccine will provide effective protection at
94-95% to us, our families, and our patients. COVID-19 can be a fatal and debilitating disease for some.
By getting the vaccine, you will be much less likely to become seriously ill.
Q: Can I get COVID-19 from the vaccine?
A: No. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use only a gene from the virus while other vaccines use an
inactivated virus. None can cause COVID-19.
Q: How many doses do I need?
A: For the initial Pfizer vaccine, an initial shot will be followed in 21 days by a second. The Moderna
vaccine will be 28 days. The products are not interchangeable, so you would the same vaccine both
doses.
Q: Am I required to take the vaccine?
A: No. This is voluntary and not required at this time. But we strongly encourage everyone to take the
vaccine based on current safety and efficacy data. We may mandate our employees to be vaccinated in
the future, similar to the influenza vaccination requirement for health care workers.
Q: If I already had COVID-19, do I still need the vaccine?
A: We don’t really know at this time how long the immunity will last to COVID-19. Best data suggest
that after 90 days, immunity may wane. At this time, we don’t recommend anyone to take the vaccine
within 90 days of infection.
Q: Once I get the vaccine, can I stop all COVID precautions?
A: No. No vaccine is 100% effective, nor do we know how long the immunity will last. The vaccine also
requires a second dose to achieve its stated 95% effectiveness. So you can still get infected after the
first dose. Furthermore, it is also possible that you may get infected but just not get seriously sick. So,
mask, distance and hygiene are still critical to breaking the chain of transmission.