It’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t know COVID-19 existed. Now when people say “virus,” we know what they mean. The impact of COVID-19 on our lives, our activities, and our freedom has affected us all. The responsibility is ours, as a community, to help stop this virus. Now we have a new, safe, and effective tool to help us do that—COVID-19 vaccines.

Getting vaccinated adds an important layer of protection for you, your family, and loved ones. Here are some things you should know about the COVID-19 vaccine:

 

• All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States are very effective at preventing the disease.
• The most common side effects are pain in the arm where you got the shot, feeling tired, headache, body aches, chills, and fever.
• Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available—wearing masks, staying at least 6 feet apart from people who don’t live with you, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, washing your hands frequently, and getting vaccinated.

If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit CDC’s FAQs web page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html.

 To learn more about the different vaccines for COVID-19 and how vaccines work, visit:

 https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html