What you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines

Vaccines save millions of lives each year and a COVID-19 vaccine could save yours. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, providing strong protection against serious illness and death. WHO reports that unvaccinated people have at least 10 times higher risk of death from COVID-19 than someone who has been vaccinated. There is also evidence that being vaccinated can help prevent you from spreading the virus, so it protects people around you.

It is important to be vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn, even if you already had COVID-19. Vaccines offer more reliable protection than natural immunity. Getting vaccinated is a safer way for you to develop immunity from COVID-19 than getting infected.

The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, but no vaccine provides 100 per cent protection. Some people will still get ill from COVID-19 after vaccination or pass the virus onto someone else. 

Therefore, it is important to continue practicing safety precautions to protect yourself and others, including avoiding crowded spaces, physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask.

Each country must identify priority populations, which WHO recommends are frontline health workers (to protect health systems) and those at highest risk of death due to COVID-19, such as older adults and people with certain medical conditions. Other essential workers, such as teachers and social workers, should then be prioritized, followed by additional groups as more vaccine doses become available.

Children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults, so unless they are part of a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than these priority groups.  

If you have any questions about whether you should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, speak to your healthcare provider. At present, people with the following health conditions should not receive a COVID-19 vaccine to avoid any possible adverse effects:

• If you have a history of severe allergic reactions to any ingredients of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• If you are currently sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (although you can get vaccinated once you have recovered and your doctor has approved).

Yes, you should get vaccinated even if you’ve previously had COVID-19. While people who recover from COVID-19 may develop some natural immunity to the virus, we do not yet know how long it lasts or how well you are protected. Vaccines offer more reliable protection.

All WHO-approved vaccines have been shown to be highly effective at protecting you against severe illness and death from COVID-19. The best vaccine to get is the one most readily available to you!

Remember, if your vaccination involves two doses, it’s important to receive both to have the maximum protection.

Vaccines work by mimicking an infectious agent – viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms that can cause a disease. This ‘teaches’ our immune system to rapidly and effectively respond against it.

Traditionally, vaccines have done this by introducing a weakened form of an infectious agent that allows our immune system to build a memory of it. This way, our immune system can quickly recognize and fight it before it makes us ill. That’s how some of the COVID-19 vaccines have been designed.

Other COVID-19 vaccines have been developed using new approaches, which are called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines. Instead of introducing antigens (a substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies), mRNA vaccines give our body the genetic code it needs to allow our immune system to produce the antigen itself. mRNA vaccine technology has been studied for several decades. They contain no live virus and do not interfere with human DNA.

For more information on how vaccines work, please visit WHO.

Yes, COVID-19 vaccines were developed as rapidly as possible, but they all must go through rigorous testing in clinical trials to prove that they meet internationally agreed benchmarks for safety and effectiveness. Only if they meet these standards can a vaccine receive validation from WHO and national regulatory agencies.

UNICEF will only procure and supply COVID-19 vaccines that meet WHO’s established safety and efficacy criteria and that have received the required regulatory approval.

Scientists were able to develop safe effective vaccines in a relatively short amount of time due to a combination of factors that allowed them to scale up research and production without compromising safety: 

• Because of the global pandemic, there was a larger sample size to study and tens of thousands of volunteers stepped forward 
• Advancements in technology (like mRNA vaccines) that were years in the making 
• Governments and other bodies came together to remove the obstacle of funding research and development 
• Manufacturing of the vaccines occurred in parallel to the clinical trials to speed up production 

Though they were developed quickly, all COVID-19 vaccines approved for use by the WHO are safe and effective.

Vaccines are designed to give you immunity without the dangers of getting the disease. Not everyone does, but it’s common to experience some mild-to-moderate side effects that go away within a few days on their own.

Some of the mild-to-moderate side effects you may experience after vaccination include:

• Arm soreness at the injection site
• Mild fever
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Muscle or joint aches
• Chills
• Diarrhoea

You can manage any side effects with rest, staying hydrated and taking medication to manage pain and fever, if needed.

If any symptoms continue for more than a few days then contact your healthcare provider for advice. More serious side effects are extremely rare, but if you experience a more severe reaction, then contact your healthcare provider immediately.

>>Read: What you need to know before, during and after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine

You can find out more about COVID-19 vaccines on WHO’s website.
 

Keep taking precautions to protect yourself, family and friends if there is still COVID-19 in your area, even after getting vaccinated. Vaccines can stop most people from getting sick, but no vaccine provides 100 per cent protection.

We’re also still learning about how the variants of concern, such as Omicron, may affect vaccine effectiveness. Therefore, it is important to continue practicing safety precautions to protect yourself and others. These precautions include avoiding crowded spaces, physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask.

And remember, building immunity takes time. When you get vaccinated, check how long it will take until you reach immunity as it varies by vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against serious illness and death, but no vaccine is 100% effective. 

A number of vaccinated people may get infected with COVID-19, which is called a breakthrough infection. In such cases, people are much more likely to only have milder symptoms. Their protection against serious illness and death remains strong.

With more infectious virus variants such as Delta, there have been more breakthrough infections. That’s why it's recommended to continue taking precautions such as avoiding crowded spaces, wearing a mask and washing your hands regularly, even if you are vaccinated. 

And remember, if your vaccination involves two doses, it’s important to receive both to have the maximum protection.

If you have been fully vaccinated but are showing symptoms of COVID-19, you should contact your doctor about whether you should get tested.

Research is still ongoing to determine how long COVID-19 vaccines provide protection. According to WHO, most people have strong protection against serious illness and death for at least six months. This immunity may reduce faster for some people, including older age groups and those with underlying medical conditions.

The WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines continue to be highly effective at preventing severe illness and death, including against the dominant Delta variant. Research around the new Omicron variant is ongoing, but WHO reports that so far it looks like the current vaccines still provide significant protection against severe disease and death.

The important thing to do is to get vaccinated and continue measures to reduce the spread of the virus – which helps to reduce the chances for the virus to mutate – including physical distancing, mask wearing, good ventilation, regular handwashing and seeking care early if you have symptoms.

There is some evidence that being vaccinated helps prevent you from spreading the virus, so it may protect people around you. However, more data is needed to know the extent of this protection and there is still a chance you could pass the virus on, even without symptoms. 

Therefore, it is important to continue practicing safety precautions to protect yourself and others, including avoiding crowded spaces, physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask.

There is still not much research on mixing different vaccines. If possible, WHO advises you to get your second or third dose of the same vaccine you received for your first dose. Check your local health authorities on guidance where you live and speak with your healthcare provider if you have any questions on what is best for you.

Yes, you can get vaccinated if you are pregnant. Although the overall risk of severe illness from COVID-19 remains low, pregnancy puts you at higher risk of severe illness compared to people who are not pregnant.

Although there is less data available, evidence on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy has been growing, and no safety concerns have been identified. For more information about receiving a COVID-19 vaccination while pregnant, speak to your healthcare provider.

>>Read: Navigating pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Yes, if you are breastfeeding you should take the vaccine as soon as it is available to you. It is very safe and there is no risk to the mother or baby. None of the current COVID-19 vaccines have live virus in them, so there is no risk of you transmitting COVID-19 to your baby through your breastmilk from the vaccine. In fact, the antibodies that you have after vaccination may go through the breast milk and help protect your baby.

>>Read: Breastfeeding safely during the COVID-19 pandemic

No, you may have seen false claims on social media, but there is no evidence that any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines, can affect fertility in women or men. You should get vaccinated if you are currently trying to become pregnant.

Some people have reported experiencing a disruption to their menstrual cycle after getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Although data is still limited, research is ongoing into the impact of vaccines on menstrual cycles.

Speak to your healthcare provider if you have concerns or questions about your periods.

An increasing number of vaccines are now being approved for use in children, so it’s important to stay informed of guidance by your local and national health authorities.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been approved by WHO for use in children 12 years and older. Studies are ongoing into vaccine efficacy and safety in children under 12 years of age and we will update when more information is available.

At this time WHO recommends that countries should vaccinate children only when high vaccine coverage with two doses has been achieved in higher priority-use groups. Children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults, so unless they are part of a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions and health workers.

Remind your children of the importance of us all taking precautions to protect each other, such as avoiding crowded spaces, physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask.

It is critical that children continue to receive the recommended childhood vaccines.

News about COVID-19 vaccines is flooding our daily lives and it is only natural that curious young minds will have questions – lots of them. Read our explainer article for help explaining what can be a complicated topic in simple and reassuring terms.

The development of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines is a huge step forward in our global effort to end the pandemic. This is exciting news, but there are still some people who are skeptical or hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines. Chances are you know a person who falls into this category.

We spoke to Dr. Saad Omer, Director at the Yale Institute for Global Health, to get his tips on how to navigate these challenging conversations.

>> Read the interview

Safe and effective vaccines are a game changer, but even once vaccinated we need to continue taking precautions for the time being to protect ourselves and others. The most important thing you can do is reduce your risk of exposure to the virus. To protect yourself and your loved ones, make sure to:

• Wear a mask where physical distancing from others is not possible.
• Keep a physical distance from others in public places.
• Avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces.
• Open windows to improve ventilation indoors.
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.

If you or a family member has a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, seek medical care early.

No, none of the COVID-19 vaccines affect or interact with your DNA in any way. Messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines teach the cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response inside the body. This response produces antibodies which keep you protected against the virus. mRNA is different from DNA and only stays inside the cell for about 72 hours before degrading. However, it never enters the nucleus of the cell, where DNA is kept.

No, none of the WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines contain animal products.

Sadly, there is a lot of inaccurate information online about the COVID-19 virus and vaccines. Misinformation in a health crisis can spread paranoia, fear and stigmatization. It can also result in people being left unprotected or more vulnerable to the virus. Get verified facts and advice from trusted sources like your local health authority, the UN, UNICEF, WHO.

If you see content online that you believe to be false or misleading, you can help stop it spreading by reporting it to the social media platform.

COVAX is part of a global effort aimed at accelerating the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access around the world. No country will be safe from COVID-19 until all countries are protected.

There are 190 countries and territories engaged in the COVAX Facility, which account for over 90 per cent of the world’s population. Working with CEPI, GAVI, WHO and other partners, UNICEF is leading efforts to procure and supply COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of COVAX.  

Learn more about COVAX.

This article was last updated on 29 December 2021. It will continue to be updated to reflect the latest information.