People who qualify for the COVID-19 vaccination are those in phases 1a and 1b:

• People who are 65 and older
• People 50 and older who also live in a multigenerational household
• Health care workers
• First responders
• People who live or work in long-term care facilities
• All other workers in health settings who are at risk of COVID-19

WA Phase Finder

The timing for vaccinations for each phase of patients will follow state requirements, guidance from the CDC, and be determined by available vaccine quantities. Find out the latest information on Washington State Vaccine Prioritization or discover the Idaho State Vaccine Prioritization plan.

The COVID-19 vaccine teaches your immune system to recognize the coronavirus. When you get the vaccine, your immune system makes antibodies that stay in your blood and protect you in case you are infected with the virus. You get protection against the disease without having to get sick. When enough people in the community can fight off the coronavirus — something called herd or population immunity — it has nowhere to go. This means we can stop the spread quicker and get closer to ending the pandemic.

Vaccination helps reduce the spread of a virus and protects the people around you, including people who are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. It is not possible to get COVID-19 from vaccines. The new COVID-19 vaccines use inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus, parts of the virus, or a gene from the virus. None of these can cause COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccines are carefully evaluated in clinical trials and are only allowed for use if the FDA considers them safe and effective. Safety and efficacy (how well the vaccine works to protect you) are determined by clinical trials. After clinical trials, medical experts examine test results and any side effects. If the vaccine works and is safe, it will get approved for distribution to the public.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, since we're in a pandemic, developing a new vaccine can go faster than normal. No steps are skipped, but some steps happen at the same time, like applications, trials, and manufacturing. See the helpful video below to learn more about this process.

You may see some rumors about untrue side effects online or on social media. Make sure any time you see a claim about a side effect that you check the source of that claim. This video can teach you more about how to figure out if a claim online is true or not.

What are the normal side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine?

The most common side effects of the vaccine are similar to some routine vaccines, including a sore arm, tiredness, headache, and muscle pain. Data from clinical trials showed the following in people younger than 55:

• About 80 percent reported pain at the injection site
• About half reported tiredness and headache
• Less than one-third (30 percent) reported muscle pain
• Most side effects occur within two days of getting the vaccine and last about a day
• Side effects are more common among people 55 years and younger than among those older than 55
• Side effects are more common after the second dose than the first dose.

What are the normal side effects of the Moderna vaccine?

Like some routine vaccines, the most common side effects are a sore arm, tiredness, headache, and muscle pain. These symptoms are a sign that the vaccine is prompting an immune response. Data from clinical trials showed the following:

• Ninety percent of people reported pain at the injection site
• Seventy percent of people reported tiredness and headache
• Sixty percent of people reported muscle pain
• For most people, these side effects occurred within two days of getting the vaccine and lasted about a day. Side effects were more common after the second dose than the first dose.