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NC COVID-19 »   Vaccines »   COVID-19 Vaccines Safety

COVID-19 Vaccines Safety Fact Sheets

Version en Español

Three vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) are authorized under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use to provide protection against COVID-19 and protect against virus-related hospitalization and death.

Moderna

  • Fact Sheet Emergency Use Authorization (Spanish)
  • CDC Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Pfizer-BioNTech

  • Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Information (Spanish)
  • CDC Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)

  • Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine Information (Spanish)
  • CDC Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine Information
  • NCDHHS - Johnson & Johnson Resumes: Questions and Answers

Other Helpful Links

  • V-safe is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after you receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Through v-safe, you can quickly tell CDC if you have any side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. (Spanish)
  • NCDHHS Flyers
    • How Safe and Effective COVID-19 Vaccines Come to You (Spanish)
    • 10 Facts You Should Know About COVID-19 Vaccines (Spanish)

Frequently Asked Questions

Have COVID-19 vaccines proven to be safe and effective?

Yes. The currently recommended vaccines have proven to build strong protection against COVID-19. They have also proven to protect against hospitalization and death from COVID-19. There were no serious safety concerns in the clinical trials. Safety data from more than 298 million shots of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines that were given in the first six months after the vaccine was approved in the U.S. show that most reported side effects were mild and didn’t last long.

Who makes sure the vaccines are safe?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) makes sure all food and drugs are safe. The COVID-19 vaccines must pass clinical trials like other drugs and vaccines. The FDA checks the work and authorizes vaccines only if they are safe and work well. Vaccines are held to very high safety standards because they are given to millions of healthy people to prevent serious diseases.

The FDA can get vaccines to people faster through an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). After the FDA has authorized a vaccine, an independent advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reviews the data. The advisory committee then advises the CDC on whether a vaccine should be given to the general public. Like all vaccines, the FDA keeps checking safety through the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). Health care providers are required to report serious side effects. They also have to report if someone gets seriously sick with COVID-19. There is also a smartphone app called v-safe that uses text messages and web surveys to do health check-ins after people receive a COVID-19 vaccine. People can report any problems they may have with a vaccine through v-safe. The CDC and FDA continue to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines with several vaccine safety monitoring systems.

What other COVID-19 vaccines are being developed and considered?

It is difficult to say when other vaccines may be available. As of March 2021, the COVID-19 vaccines listed below are either in the last phase of clinical trials, planned to start the last phase of clinical trials, or have completed clinical trials in the U.S.:

  • AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine
  • Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine

Ocugen, Inc. submitted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) request to the FDA for a vaccine called COVAXIN™ for children between the ages of 2 and 18 years.  

You cannot get COVID-19 from any of these vaccines in development. All of these vaccines teach your body to fight the COVID-19 virus.

How can someone enroll in a clinical trial for a vaccine?

Over 100 vaccines for COVID-19 are under development. Many are in clinical trials that are looking for participants. Get information about enrolling in a COVID-19 vaccine trial.

Vaccines

  • COVID-19 Vaccine Information
  • En Español
  • Find a Vaccine Provider
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters
  • Your Vaccine Information
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