What’s herd immunity?
Herd or population immunity is a term used to describe when enough people have protection from a virus or bacteria—either from previous infection or vaccination—that it is unlikely the disease can spread. As a result, everyone within the community is protected even if some people don’t have any protection themselves. The percentage of people who need to have protection in order to achieve herd immunity varies by disease.
Experts do not know what percentage of people would need to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19.
COVID-19 vaccination
The COVID-19 vaccine is available to people 12 years and older.
Visit vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to find and schedule an appointment.
Call the hotline at 1-833-VAX-HELP (833-829-4357), then press #. Language assistance is available. You can also text your zip code to 438-829 (GET VAX) or 822-862 (VACUNA) for vaccine locations near you.
What types of symptoms are normal after receiving the vaccine?
Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson – Janssen COVID-19 vaccines
Like other routine vaccines, the most common side effects are a sore arm, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.
These symptoms are a sign that the vaccine is working. In the Pfizer and Moderna trials, these side effects occurred most often within two days of getting the vaccine, and lasted about a day. Side effects were more common after the second dose than the first dose.
In the Johnson & Johnson clinical trials, side effects lasted an average of one to two days.
For all three vaccines, people over 55 were less likely to report side effects than younger people.
Clinical trials found that approximately:
Pfizer
80% of people reported pain at the injection site
50% of people reported fatigue and headache
30% of people reported muscle pain
Moderna
90% of people reported pain at the injection site
70% of people reported fatigue and headache
60% of people reported muscle pain
Johnson & Johnson
60% of people reported pain at the injection site
45% of people reported fatigue and headache
40% of people reported muscle pain
You may see some rumors about untrue side effects online or on social media. Make sure any time you see a claim about a side effect that you check the source of that claim.
This video can teach you more about how to figure out if a claim online is true or not: youtube.com/watch?v=UIov_crnFt8&feature=youtu.be
Leave a Reply