What are the options?
Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have already been approved for emergency use by the FDA. AstraZeneca expects to apply for an emergency use permit in the coming weeks.
Which vaccines require one dose and which require two doses?
Johnson & Johnson is the only single vaccine. The others require both doses at different time intervals. Pfizer suggests taking the two doses three weeks apart, Moderna suggests four weeks, and AstraZeneca suggests four to 12 weeks apart.
How effective are vaccines?
In a clinical study, Pfizer says its vaccine was 95% effective in preventing cases of symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% effective when it came to preventing severe cases. Moderna cited similar results, with 94% effectiveness.
Johnson & Johnson found that its vaccine, which was tested in the United States against a higher increase in COVID-19 transmission, was generally 72% and 86% effective in preventing severe disease.
The latest US study shows that the AstraZeneca vaccine was 79% effective in preventing symptomatic cases of COVID-19 and was 100% effective in stopping severe cases and hospitalization.
Which vaccine is most effective?
A word of caution before comparing the above efficacy rates side by side: vaccine clinical trials were conducted under different conditions, which could produce different results. For example, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was tested in an environment with many more COVID-19 variants circulating and at a time when cases were increasing. The best vaccine is the one offered to you, the doctors continue to remind the public.
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What are the side effects of each vaccine?
All three approved vaccines have the same common side effects, according to the Centers for Disease Control:
- Pain, redness and / or swelling in the arm in which you strike
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Chills
- Fever
- Nausea
Concerns about blood clots have led several European countries to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, the European Medicines Agency concluded, following an investigation, that the vaccine did not increase the overall risk of blood clots, but could not rule out that it was linked to two very rare types of clots.
In the latest US study of 20,000 people, experts found no increased risk of blood clots.
What are the most common vaccines in the US?
According to the CDC, the United States received approximately 77 million doses of Pfizer, 75 million doses of Moderna and 4 million doses of J&J at the time of publication. Remember: the J&J vaccine requires only one dose, but it takes two doses of Pfizer or Moderna to completely vaccinate a person.
Do I have to choose which vaccine I get?
Not at this time. It is possible that the elections will come down if the supply grows large enough.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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