Fact vs Fiction: COVID-19 Vaccines

Whether you’ve had COVID-19 or not, you could still be at risk! If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with COVID-19, getting the vaccine can still be beneficial. CDC experts say reinfection rates vary from person to person. That’s why it’s important to get vaccinated and practice CDC safety guidelines. Read on to discover more about these and other facts related to COVID-19 vaccines.

Fiction: If you’ve already had COVID-19 there’s no benefit to getting vaccinated.
Fact: People who have gotten sick with COVID-19 in the past may still benefit from vaccination because reinfection with COVID-19 is possible. 
Experts don’t currently know how long someone is protected from getting sick again with COVID-19, and this “natural immunity” varies from person to person, which is why getting vaccinated and practicing the other protective measures of wearing a mask, social distancing, and frequent handwashing are important.

Fiction: If you get the COVID-19 vaccine you don’t have to wear a mask or practice social distancing.
Fact: Getting a COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, and frequent handwashing are your best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19.
Until experts are able to learn and gather more information about COVID-19 vaccines—specifically the protection they provide in real-life conditions—we need to use all of the tools available to us to help stop the pandemic. The number of people who get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in our communities are other factors the CDC will consider before making a decision to change these recommendations.

Fiction: Since you still have to wear PPE there’s no reason to get vaccinated.
Fact: Getting a COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, and frequent handwashing are your best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19.
Until experts are able to learn and gather more information about COVID-19 vaccines—specifically the protection they provide in real-life conditions—we need to use all of the tools available to us to help stop the pandemic. The number of people who get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in our communities are other factors the CDC will consider before making a decision to change these recommendations.

Fiction: COVID-19 vaccines will give you COVID-19.
Fact: The vaccine won’t give you COVID-19 because the current COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain the live virus.
The goal of the COVID-19 vaccines is to teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus.
Note: Since it typically takes a few weeks after getting the vaccine for your body to build up immunity to COVID-19, there’s a chance you could be infected just before or just after vaccination and end up sick. But that’s only because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection against COVID-19.

Fiction: COVID-19 vaccines will cause you to test positive on a COVID-19 test.
Fact: The vaccine will not cause you to test positive on a COVID-19 viral test, which are the ones used to determine if you have a current infection. There is a possibility you may test positive on some antibody tests, which indicate you had a previous infection.

Experts are currently looking at how COVID-19 vaccines may affect antibody test results.

You can read more about these and other COVID-19 vaccine facts at the following links:
Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines
FAQs About COVID-19 Vaccination

You can learn more about COVID-19 vaccination at Bayhealth here.