As Covid-19 cases continue to rise, the race to finish and successfully release a vaccine to the public is slowly reaching the finish line. As of November 14th, five vaccines have been FDA approved to go into phase three of testing and two of these vaccines have already been approved to be released to the public due to the surge in cases. Public testing and trials are already underway as Joe Biden and other public figures have taken the vaccine and are showing no negative side effects or health issues. The CDC and FDA have been working together with private companies to release the vaccine and have already planned to release vaccines to multiple states and health locations across the country, such as CVS and Walgreens.

The Vaccine is scheduled to be released by the end of December of 2020 but due to setbacks and lack of state funding the release will most likely be early 2021. Those who take the vaccine will be required to receive two injections with a two to a three-week time period in between each shot. Patients who receive the vaccine are required to install and interact with a CDC-created application called V-safe. V-safe allows users to input their medical history and Covid-19 testing information in order to stay updated and informed. Users provide the app with daily health updates after receiving the vaccine. The app monitors side effects and gives users reminders of their next vaccine dosage and provides locations and information on where to get vaccinated. There are currently two types of vaccines available, the Pfizer/BioN Tech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine. The Moderna vaccine will most likely be massed and released to the public and is the vaccine that is mainly being used for health care workers and public figures. So far there are only minor side effects that have been found common in both vaccinations. Those injected often find pain and swelling in the injected arm and experience fevers, chills, drowsiness, and headaches. The CDC recommends using a cold cloth on the swelled arm as well as arm exercises. They also recommend drinking the daily recommended amount of water and wearing loose clothing to avoid arm irritation. These side effects are common with those who have been given the vaccine but continue to be minor effects compared to other medical treatments such as chemotherapy.

The CDC’s current vaccine goals are to decrease death, restore daily routines pre-covid, and reduce the spread of the disease. The CDC also released a vaccine plan stating that if there was a limited supply of the vaccine, which there will be for the first months of the release, they will have a vaccine plan. The CDC limited vaccine plan will provide groups with the vaccine in this order: health workers, essential workers, those with potential death if exposed to Covid, those age 65 and older, and finally the public who did not reach any of these categories. The CDC will pay for the vaccine through tax dollars and those with public or private insurances can get both vaccine shots without a fee. People without issuance can apply for a relief fund through the CDC website, this relief fund offers help to those affected by the virus but you must be given approval before receiving funding. Although the future release of the vaccine is certain, California has not yet distributed the vaccine to the public and currently few healthcare workers have received the vaccine. With the CDC and FDA working together to release the vaccine to the public and continue to test the vaccine on certain individuals the release continues to be a waiting game.

For more information and updates on the coronavirus and the vaccine please visit https://www.cdc.gov/