COVID Isn’t Gone. Neither Are the Vaccines.
Remember seven years ago, when most of the world hadn’t yet learned the words Omicron, Delta, or COVID?
When I tell stories, I often have to qualify them with whether they happened before or after COVID. The pandemic has become a dividing line in our lives: the world before and the world after. We used to measure time in years, school grades, and major life events. Now, we apparently measure it in pre-COVID and post-COVID.
But that’s definitely a blog post for another day.
Today, let’s talk about the COVID vaccine. Yes, it’s still a thing. And no, we haven’t reached the point where we can just put it in the history books alongside AOL dial-up and answering machines.
Which COVID vaccine should you get?
There are three main types of COVID vaccines available in the United States. Which one should you get?
Honestly, for most people, the choice between the available vaccines is less important than getting vaccinated with an age-appropriate vaccine that is recommended for them.
Here are the three main options:
Moderna’s mRNA vaccine (Spikevax): An mRNA vaccine that teaches your immune system to recognize the virus. (Moderna does have a lower dose vaccine as well.)
Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty): Another mRNA vaccine that works in much the same way as Moderna’s.
Novavax’s protein-based vaccine (Nuvaxovid): A different approach that uses a version of the virus’s spike protein to help your immune system recognize the real thing.
If you have a preference, a prior reaction to a particular vaccine, or a medical condition that affects your immune system, talk with your healthcare professional about which option makes the most sense for you.
Who should get the COVID vaccine?
Recommendations can change as the virus evolves and we learn more about who is most likely to become seriously ill. Currently most evidence based medical groups recommend COVID vaccination for anyone over 6 months of age.
Vaccination is particularly important for people at higher risk of severe COVID-19, including:
Adults 65 and older.
People who are immunocompromised or have medical conditions that increase their risk of severe illness.
Residents of long-term-care facilities.
People who have never been vaccinated against COVID-19.
People who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Young children, particularly those under age two.
A healthcare professional wearing gloves carefully draws medication into a syringe from a vial, preparing for an injection.
But does the COVID vaccine actually work?
Yes, although perhaps not in the way people sometimes expect.
Much like the flu vaccine, the COVID vaccine does not guarantee that you won’t get sick. You can still get COVID after vaccination. (Wouldn’t it be nice if vaccines came with a 100% guarantee, a lifetime warranty, and a customer service number? Same with AT&T….)
What the vaccine can do is reduce your risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Protection varies depending on your age, underlying health conditions, vaccination history, and how long it has been since your last dose.
And while COVID is no longer causing the same level of devastation we saw in 2020 and 2021, it hasn’t disappeared. The virus continues to circulate, and some people remain at significant risk of serious complications.
It’s also worth remembering the toll the pandemic took on our communities and healthcare system. Remember the toilet paper shortages? The homeschooling? The sourdough bread phase? The collective realization that a trip to the grocery store was not always as easy as we had taken for granted.
Funny in retrospect, perhaps. Less funny when you remember the overflowing hospitals, exhausted healthcare workers, financial worries, and lives lost.
We don’t need to return to those days to recognize that preventing severe illness still matters. Vaccination is one tool that can help reduce the burden of COVID, particularly among people most vulnerable to complications.
Can the COVID vaccine give you COVID?
Nope! You cannot get COVID from the COVID vaccine.
But can the vaccine make you feel as though you’ve been hit by a medium-sized SUV? Absolutely.
Common side effects include a sore arm, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, and sometimes a fever. These symptoms are generally temporary and are signs that your immune system is responding to the vaccine.
The vaccine gives your immune system a chance to learn to recognize the virus without having to go through the full infection first. Think of it as sending your immune system to a training session rather than making it learn on the job during an actual viral invasion.
And unlike most on-the-job training, these sessions usually last only a day or two (enough time to binge Ted Lasso). Your immune system can then use what it has learned to help protect you, although that protection can wane over time as the virus evolves.
One important note: If you experience a severe or concerning reaction after vaccination, seek medical attention. Symptoms such as fainting, significant dizziness, or difficulty breathing should not be ignored. Not every symptom that happens after vaccination is necessarily caused by the vaccine, but reporting concerning side effects helps researchers identify patterns and better understand vaccine safety. That information helps us make more informed recommendations in the future.
So, should you get the COVID vaccine?
I know we are all tired of talking about COVID. I am tired of talking about COVID.
But viruses, unfortunately, do not care whether we are tired of them.
The good news is that we have tools to help protect ourselves and the people around us. Vaccines are not perfect, but they can make a meaningful difference, especially for those who are most vulnerable.
And if you can make a difference, why not?
After all, we have enough things to worry about in midlife. I, for one, would prefer that COVID not become another one of them.
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