Before they can be given to the general public, vaccines go through a rigorous series of trials and approvals to address their safety and effectiveness. In general, approved vaccines are safe and effective at helping prevent severe disease.

The safety of COVID-19 vaccines is a top priority. Multiple federal partners have worked together to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccines are as safe as possible.

The early trials to test for warning signs about the vaccines’ safety do not indicate any serious concerns. Health officials reviewed all the safety data from the clinical trials to ensure they’re safe before making them available to the general public.

So far, the COVID-19 vaccines have only been fully tested on adults. Children’s immune systems are different from adults and their immune systems can even vary at different ages.

This fall, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trials started to include children as young as 12, but the results aren’t available yet. We anticipate more and more clinical trials to begin expanding recruitment to other age groups. The bottom line is that more research is needed to ensure the vaccine will be safe and effective for infants, kids and teens younger than 16.

Only non-pregnant adults participated in the early clinical trials for various COVID-19 vaccines. We need more information before vaccines are recommended for children, and specifically determining which groups of children should receive the vaccine. Clinical trials continue to expand, so hopefully, we will have this information in the near future.

The biggest thing right now is to keep up with the practices currently in place to protect against COVID-19 – handwashing, social distancing and masks for those age 2 and older. Self-quarantine at home if anyone in your family might be sick to avoid spreading the virus. It’s also important to keep up with routine vaccinations and medical care to help everyone stay healthy.

It’s been a long year, but there’s been a lot of progress too – with more on the horizon. We’ll continue to keep you informed every step of the way!

Yes, the COVID vaccine will be FREE for everyone.

The vaccine will either be covered by insurance or for uninsured patients, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund, and there will be no out of pocket cost to people receiving the vaccine.

Yes! Here are additional resources from the CDC and VDH:

• What are the benefits of getting a vaccine?
• Are the vaccines safe?
• Who should get the vaccines first?
• What is a mRNA vaccine?
• How was the COVID vaccine tested?
• How do vaccines work

It’s been a long year, but there’s been a lot of progress too – with more on the horizon. We’ll continue to keep you informed every step of the way!