The United States is currently entering the second month of its COVID-19 vaccine roll-out plan. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized two COVID-19 vaccines, both of which were found to be safe and effective in clinical trials. It was the strongest signal yet to a potential end of the pandemic that has ravaged the world for the past year. Since Jan. 21, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has charted more than 416,000 deaths in the U.S. alone due to the virus.
In early December, however, the FDA granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. One week later, the FDA approved a second vaccine developed by Moderna.
The U.S. government has had issues distributing the vaccine so far, but progress is being made, and it will soon be available to most across the country.
Your Racine, Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccination Site
Lakeview Pharmacy is an official Wisconsin COVID-19 vaccination site and will be able to offer the vaccine soon — but not immediately
As of 1/25/2021, the vaccine rollout plan is in Stage 1A, where the vaccine is being prioritized for frontline health care workers, staff, and residents of long-term care facilities, police and fire personnel, and adults 65 years old and older.
The Wisconsin Department of Health is working to get the COVID-19 vaccine to as many people as possible. But because of the limited supply, at this point, the vaccination is being administered in stages. The second stage in the rollout plan, Phase 1B, will prioritize older residents first and foremost and then add additional population segments due to the recommendations offered by the Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Wisconsin Disaster Medical Advisory Committee.
It may be weeks or months before the vaccine is made available to everyone. But progress is being made, and you’re encouraged to check in with your local vaccination sites for the latest information about when you will be able to obtain the vaccine.
What You Need to Know About the Vaccine
First and foremost, no part of the normal process to approve a drug or vaccine was skipped in the development of either available COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed instead allowed the process to take place simultaneously instead of in a linear fashion. For example, once trials were started, production for the manufacturing materials needed was also ramped up.
The technology used for the vaccines, mRNA, has been around for a decade and reflects a natural part of your body. The mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines do not introduce a weakened version of the virus to your body; instead, it teaches our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response from our bodies. Once a patient receives the vaccine, it triggers the body into a natural response to protect the person from the virus.
Also, mRNA vaccines do not affect or alter your DNA in any way. The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of a cell, where our DNA is kept. The CDC has issued a good cheat sheet for more specific details about how the vaccine works.
Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people may be advised to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before.
At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long.
We won’t know how long immunity produced by a vaccination lasts until we have a vaccine and more data on how well it works. Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about, and the CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.
Getting vaccinated will help prevent you from getting sick with COVID-19. While many who get the virus only have a mild illness, others get much more severe symptoms that can result in death. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you until you have it. Once infected, you can then spread the disease to others in your circle. The vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience sickness.
And one last note: You will need two doses of the currently available vaccine. A second dose about three weeks after your first shot is needed to get the most protection the vaccine has to offer.
Like with all vaccines, patients may experience minor to moderate side effects for several days after they received the vaccine. They include fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, and headache. These are all signs that the vaccine is working and their body is busy making antibodies.
As is the case with the flu shot, patients CANNOT get COVID-19 from the vaccine.
Historically, there are no known long-term side effects with any of the vaccines that are currently given on a routine basis. But COVID-19 is a brand-new virus — the vaccine was developed mere months ago. Firm data will not be known for some time.
We’re Here for You in Difficult Times
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the entire country over the last 10 months, but relief is on the way for many with the introduction of effective vaccines. The nationwide rollout is currently underway, and Lakeview Pharmacy is officially registered with the State of Wisconsin as a Wisconsin COVID-19 vaccination site.
Once supplies of the vaccine reach suitable levels, Lakeview Pharmacy will be a hub for the Racine, Wis. area to get protection from this virus. With constantly updating plans and changes in information about the virus, and the vaccine, contact us to learn more about when the vaccine will be available. Our team of experienced pharmacists is also available to answer any questions you have.