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Which COVID-19 vaccines are available in Virginia?
| Dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech[Español] |
Moderna[Español] |
Johnson & Johnson (Janssen)[Español] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Vaccine Series
The initial vaccine schedule |
Two shots, 21 days* apart
Ages 5 years and older |
Two shots, 28 days* apart
Ages 18 years and older |
One shot
Ages 18 years and older |
| Additional Primary Series
Recommended for people with weakened immune systems |
If immunocompromised:
At least 28 days after the primary series Ages 5 years and older |
If immunocompromised:
At least 28 days after the primary series Ages 18 years and older |
If immunocompromised:
An mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) administered at least 28 days after the primary dose Ages 18 years and older |
| First Booster Dose
Recommended for some people after completing a primary series |
If immunocompromised:
At least 3 months after the additional primary series dose If not immunocompromised: At least 5 months after the Pfizer primary series Ages 12 years and older |
If immunocompromised:
At least 3 months after the additional primary series dose If not immunocompromised: At least 5 months after the Moderna primary series Ages 18 years and older |
If immunocompromised:
At least 2 months after the mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) additional dose If not immunocompromised: At least 2 months after the J&J primary dose Ages 18 years and older |
| Second Booster Dose
Recommended for some people after receiving the first booster dose |
All adults 50 years and older, or individuals 12 and older with a weakened immune system, may choose to receive a second mRNA booster dose at least 4 months after the first booster dose. | All adults 50 years and older, or individuals 18 and older with a weakened immune system, may choose to receive a second mRNA booster dose at least 4 months after the first booster dose. | All adults 50 years and older, individuals 18 and older with a weakened immune system, or people ages 18–49 years who received an initial J&J dose and J&J booster, may choose to receive a second mRNA booster dose at least 4 months after the first booster dose. |
*Healthcare providers may recommend an extended interval of 3-8 weeks for Pfizer and 4-8 weeks for Moderna, based on the individual's age and health conditions.
COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective at preventing severe illness and death. CDC recommends everyone ages 5 years and older get vaccinated against COVID-19.
More than 109 million children ages 5 through 11 years have received a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. COVID-19 vaccination can help our students stay in school, minimize interruptions (such as staying home after an exposure), and decrease the likelihood of spreading COVID-19 transmission.
Considerations to get your children vaccinated
Although children and adolescents may have a milder illness than adults, they are still at risk of becoming severely ill. The rate of children ages 5 through 11 years hospitalized in the U.S. increased rapidly with the Omicron variant.
Children infected may also develop complications or long-term illness, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) or long COVID. MIS-C is a condition where different body parts become inflamed. Long COVID is when individuals develop symptoms such as fatigue, chest pain, headaches, or shortness of breath that last for weeks or months.
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Vaccines recommendations
COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 5 years and older in the United States for the prevention of COVID-19. Children who have already had a COVID-19 infection benefit from vaccination because it provides stronger and broader protection against the virus and its potential long-term effects. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine authorized or approved for children ages 5 through 17 years at this time.
Children 5- through 17-years-old will need 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine separated by at least 21 days apart. An extended interval is an option for individuals 12 years of age and older based on an individual’s risks and benefits (including the risk of myocarditis). They can talk with a healthcare or vaccine provider about the timing of the second dose in the primary series.
People ages 5 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should get a third (additional) primary dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, 28 days after their second dose.
Talk to your child’s healthcare provider about the best timing of your child’s second dose, additional primary dose, or booster dose.
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Booster recommendations
After completing the primary series receiving the 2 doses, it is important that children stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines by receiving booster doses when eligible in order to maintain adequate protection.
Everyone ages 12 years and older should get a Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose at least 5 months (or at least 3 months if immunocompromised) after the last dose in their primary series.
People ages 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may choose to receive a second booster dose at least 4 months after the first booster dose. This would be a fifth dose for people who completed an mRNA primary series and a fourth dose for people who completed the J&J (Janssen) initial shot.
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Side effects in children
Side effects seen in younger children after vaccination against COVID-19 are similar to those in adolescents and young adults. Reported side effects following immunization are less frequent in children ages 5 through 11 years compared with young adults ages 16 through 25 years.
Side effects in children ages 5 through 11 years were more commonly reported after the second dose and included headache, arm pain, and tiredness. Fever was also commonly reported in children ages 12 through 17 years.
There is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines impact children's growth or development, including impacts on brain development, bone development, or future fertility.
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Timeline and potential vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years
There is currently no FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 4 years and younger. According to the CDC, these children should not receive any COVID-19 vaccine doses (including partial doses of vaccine formulations approved or authorized for people ages 5 years and older) at this time unless part of a clinical trial.
Moderna has asked for emergency use authorization from the FDA of a two-dose primary series of its COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to under 6 years. According to media reports, Pfizer is unlikely to officially seek FDA authorization until June for children ages 6 months to 4 years. It is expected that these children will need three doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccine use for younger age groups will first need to be reviewed by the FDA’s external scientific advisory committee, then authorized by the FDA, then recommended for use by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and finally, approved by the CDC Director, to become available to the public for use. The exact timeline for this process is uncertain at this time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Top Frequently Asked Questions about the COVID-19 vaccine
No. All COVID-19 vaccines work well to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death, even against variants. However, public health experts are starting to see reduced protection, especially among certain populations, against mild and moderate disease. CDC and VDH recommend staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations for maximum protection.
An additional primary series dose is a COVID-19 vaccine dose administered to someone with a moderately or severely weakened immune system because their initial immune response after completing the primary vaccine series may have been insufficient to provide them with strong protection.
A booster dose is a COVID-19 vaccine dose administered to someone who initially had good protection from the primary vaccine series, but this protection may have weakened over time.
No, they do not. There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause fertility problems, in women or men. If you are trying to become pregnant now or want to get pregnant in the future, you can and should receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Yes. COVID-19 vaccines are safe for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 5 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future. There is no evidence of miscarriages, stillbirths, or preterm births linked to the vaccines.
Getting COVID-19 during pregnancy is associated with severe illness, death, or pregnancy complications. Pregnant people can lower the risk of these events by getting vaccinated. Getting vaccinated during pregnancy may also protect infants aged less than 6 months from getting very sick. This is important because COVID-19 vaccines are not currently planned for this age group.
Yes. Common side effects include mild symptoms that should go away in a few days. They include redness, pain, or swelling on the arm where you got the shot. They also include a mild fever, chills, headache, or feeling tired.
Severe allergic reactions after getting a COVID-19 vaccine are rare. Call 9-1-1 or seek immediate medical care if you have symptoms. Vaccination sites are ready to help people who have immediate allergic reactions. Stay at the vaccination site for at least 15 minutes after the vaccine.
Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination. If adverse effects occur, they generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks. To let CDC know about any side effects, you can sign up for a free, secure smartphone tool at v-safe after vaccination health checker [Español].
Have more questions? Visit our Searchable FAQs [Español] to find your answer!
Every vaccine goes through the same steps to make sure it is safe and effective. The COVID-19 vaccines were developed more quickly than usual because the financial part of that process was sped up to help us fight this virus.
- Phase 1: Study the safety and look for common reactions, using 20-100 volunteers.
- Phase 2: Study the effectiveness, by looking for how effective it is and by looking for the right dose using several hundred volunteers.
- Phase 3: Study safety and effectiveness, by comparing people who got the vaccines with people who did not, using thousands of volunteers.
- Phase 4: Continue to study safety and effectiveness including long-term benefits and side effects.
- Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) [Español] is used by the FDA during a public health emergency. This means that the FDA has looked at the data about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and allows it to be used while they continue to look at the data.
- A full FDA approval means that the vaccine can be used even when there is not a public health emergency. To get this approval, the manufacturer must provide more detailed data that is collected for a longer time.
- After the FDA authorizes or fully approves the vaccine, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) makes recommendations for how that vaccine should be used.
How vaccines work?
When bacteria or viruses enter our bodies, they attack and multiply. This invasion is called an infection. The immune system fights back to protect the body’s cells. To help train your immune system to protect you from disease, we use vaccines. They do this by:
- Imitating an infection
- Helping the body’s immune system
- Teaching the body to “remember” how to fight the bacteria or virus in the future
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