The vaccine can lower your chances of getting COVID-19.
The COVID-19 vaccine has been tested in clinical trials. It was approved because it can greatly lower the chances of getting COVID-19. Even if you do get COVID-19, experts believe that the vaccine will help protect you, so you don’t get really sick. Your body will be ready to fight the virus.

Help stop the pandemic.
Wearing a mask and social distancing are not enough to control the pandemic spread. Get the COVID-19 vaccine. We need to use all the tools we have to stop the pandemic. Even after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask, social distancing and handwashing will be still important.

Protect yourself.
COVID-19 is serious. People with COVID-19 are 10 times more likely to die than those with the flu. You can spread COVID-19 without looking or feeling sick. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine will help protect you from the virus.

There is a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines. So, certain groups can get the vaccine early.

Multiple COVID-19 vaccines are being developed. 

It depends on the vaccine you get. There are several COVID-19 vaccines in Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States. Most need two shots to work. 

Yes. According to the CDC, you need to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth when: 

• You’re with others outside your household
• You’re in a health care facility (like a hospital, clinic, nursing home, etc.)
• You get any vaccine, including a COVID-19 vaccine 

Anyone who has trouble breathing or can’t remove a mask without help should not wear a mask. To learn more, see the CDC's considerations for wearing masks.

Not yet. There isn’t enough information right now to say if or when you can stop following CDC COVID-19 safety directions. Experts need to understand more about how COVID-19 vaccines work. Many things can affect what we need to do. For example, how many people get the vaccine and how the virus is spreading.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized COVID-19 vaccines.

None of the COVID-19 vaccines being developed in the United States use the live virus that causes COVID-19. There are a couple of vaccines in development. But, the goal for each of them is to teach the body to find and fight the COVID-19 virus.

Sometimes the vaccine can cause symptoms, like fever.

You may be told to get a COVID-19 vaccine, even if you’ve been sick with COVID-19 before. At this time, experts don’t know how long you’re protected from getting sick again after you’ve had COVID-19.

This protection is called natural immunity. It varies from person to person. Some early research showed that natural immunity didn’t last very long.

The COVID-19 vaccine has been tested in clinical trials. It was only approved because it can greatly lower the chances of getting COVID-19.

Experts believe that even if you catch COVID-19, this vaccine may help keep you from getting very ill. Your body will be ready to fight the virus.

The term, mRNA, stands for “messenger ribonucleic acid.” It’s basically directions for making a protein or a piece of a protein.

The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the part of the cell where our genes are kept. So, the mRNA can’t change your genes.

Instead, COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA work with the body’s natural defenses. It helps the body to safely protect you from COVID-19.