The COVID-19 Vaccine is the only way we could stop this whole entire pandemic that has been going on now for over a year. The CDC has just recently made some huge announcements on how effective it is and how by taking this vaccine you can avoid getting COVID-19. Therefore, it protects you from it with only a few short term side effects after receiving the vaccination for only a few days.

“Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Experts also think that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus that causes COVID-19. That means it is possible a person could still get COVID-19 just after vaccination. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.” (CDC). 

Receiving this vaccination is serious. The federal government points out that this vaccination is effective towards Covid-19 and can prevent the virus from getting you sick. Also even if someone already has Covid-19, having them receive the vaccination after testing positive helps them from seriously getting ill and eventually takes the virus away from them. Even after receiving the vaccine, the CDC requires people to still follow all guidelines relating to Covid-19, for example wearing a mask, because of how after vaccination it can take up to three weeks for your body to fully fight off Covid-19 and to build that protection from it that a vaccine should do.

“Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines, and these vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. These vaccines cannot give you COVID-19. After COVID-19 vaccination, you may have some side effects. These are normal signs that your body is building protection. The side effects from COVID-19 vaccination, such as chills or tiredness, may affect your ability to do daily activities, and they should go away in a few days.” (CDC). 

Some people do not want to take this vaccine because they believe it is not safe or that it may give you the actual virus Covid-19 instead of preventing it. However, as said by the CDC, this vaccine was highly monitored to ensure this vaccine was made safe. The CDC encourages people to want to take this vaccine to help stop this pandemic not continue it. They prove that millions of Americans living in the United States have already received this vaccination and are perfectly fine. People who received it had short term side effects but after a few days, those side effects went away.

“Although the vaccine supply is currently limited, the federal government is working toward making vaccines widely available for everyone at no cost. The federal government is providing the vaccine free of charge to people living in the United States. However, your vaccination provider may bill your insurance company, Medicaid, or Medicare for an administration fee. Vaccination providers can be reimbursed for this by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund. No one can be denied a vaccine if they are unable to pay the vaccine administration fee. In the coming months, doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics will offer COVID-19 vaccine. Your doctor’s office or local pharmacy may have contacted you with information about their vaccination plans.”(CDC). 

Currently the vaccine is still limited in who is able to receive it. The federal government is working hard everyday to continue to monitor this vaccine and to continue to send out millions of vaccines across the United States to help stop this pandemic and to keep Americans safe. Hopefully, this vaccine will be available to all Americans who want it, free of charge. In the coming months, local hospitals or emergency rooms may  also have the vaccine available to anyone who would want to go in and receive it. 

The CDC has taken months to carefully look and monitor this vaccination to ensure it is safe before releasing it to millions of Americans. It was proved safe before and after lots of Americans received this vaccination. Within the next year, hopefully every single American has this vaccine to end this pandemic for good.