Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines
- COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
- Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history.
- CDC recommends you get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you are eligible.
Millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine
Over 92 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through March 8, 2021.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met FDA’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA). Learn more about EUAs in this videoexternal icon.
Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines, and these vaccines will undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.
Results from monitoring efforts are reassuring. Some people have no side effects. Many people have reported mild side effects after COVID-19 vaccination, like
- pain or swelling at the injection site,
- a headache, chills,
- or fever.
These reactions are common. A small number of people have had a severe allergic reaction (called “anaphylaxis”) after vaccination, but this is extremely rare. If this occurs, vaccination providers have medicines available to effectively and immediately treat the reaction.
After you get a COVID-19 vaccine, you will be asked to stay for 15–30 minutes so you can be observed in case you have a severe allergic reaction and provided treatment in the rare case it is needed.
Help protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated
COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC recommendations on wearing masks and social distancing are the best ways to protect against COVID-19 illness. CDC recommends you get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as you are eligible.
CDC, FDA, and other federal partners will continue to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines as they continue to become more broadly used in the population.
Have you experienced a side effect following COVID-19 vaccination?
You can report it to VAERSexternal icon.
Anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination is rare. If this occurs, vaccination providers can effectively and immediately treat the reaction.
To date, VAERS has not detected patterns in cause of death that would indicate a safety problem with COVID-19 vaccines.