COVID-19 Vaccine Talking Points

Addressing Patients’ Questions About COVID-19 Vaccine

Yes. Children under 2 years old are at high risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization. It is critical that they get vaccinated at a young age.

Public health and medical experts, including California Department of Public Health and American Academy of Pediatrics, strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccines for all children 6 months – 23 months of age.

Yes, COVID-19 vaccines protect children from COVID-19-related emergency department or urgent care visits and reduce the risk of long COVID.

The COVID-19 virus changes and our immunity weakens over time, so staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines is the best way to stay protected from getting very sick.

People who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccination have a lower risk of long COVID. Long COVID-19 includes a range of long-lasting symptoms after getting sick with COVID-19. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, brain fog, mood changes (e.g., anxiety and depression), fatigue, cough, muscle and joint pain, trouble sleeping, headaches, and digestive issues. Long COVID can affect multiple organs, including the lungs, heart, brain, kidneys, and endocrine system. Long COVID can negatively affect a person’s ability to work, care for themselves, and participate in daily activities.

COVID-19 vaccines are effective and safe. They have been administered to millions of people and have played an important role in reducing severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered safely. Vaccines, like any medication, can cause side effects. Most COVID-19 vaccine side effects are mild, for example, pain or redness at the injection site, soreness in the arm. These are common and do not last very long.

Some may experience other side effects like fatigue, fever, chills, and headache. These are also temporary and mostly mild or moderate. If you have any concerns after getting vaccinated, please contact your health care provider.

Becoming infected with COVID-19 is about 10 times more likely to cause myocarditis than COVID-19 vaccine. Also, myocarditis after COVID-19 disease is usually more severe than myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 disease can also harm the lungs and other organs. Getting vaccinated protects kids and teens from these risks.

Very rarely, myocarditis has occurred in people who have received the vaccine. For most of these people, symptoms began within a few days following receipt of their second dose of vaccine. The chance of this occurring is very low.