As of Monday, April 19, everyone 16 or older who lives, works, or studies in New Jersey is now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in New Jersey. Capital Health is currently only able to administer the vaccine in New Jersey.

To register for a COVID-19 vaccine, visit covidvaccine.nj.gov.

For a list of open vaccination sites nearest to you and to learn more, visit covid19.nj.gov/vaccine or to look for available appointments visit https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/finder.

For a list of open vaccination sites nearest to you and to learn more, visit covid19.nj.gov/vaccine.

If you are a patient, information about vaccine administration is available online at www.covid19.nj.gov for New Jersey and www.health.pa.gov for Pennsylvania.

As more vaccine supplies are available, more people can get vaccinated. Capital Health continues to follow local, state and federal guidelines for direction regarding our role in distributing the vaccine in the community.

As of Monday, April 19, everyone 16 or older who lives, works, or studies in New Jersey is now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in New Jersey.

For a list of open vaccination sites nearest to you and to learn more, visit covid19.nj.gov/vaccine or to look for available appointments visit https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/finder.

You should get vaccinated as soon as it is available to you to protect yourself from the virus.

The COVID-19 vaccine gives your immune system a preview of the coronavirus, so it learns how to stop it if you are exposed. It triggers antibodies in your blood to attack the virus’ unique spike protein.

Your immune system learns from the vaccine how to quickly recognize the actual virus and stop it from multiplying. The idea is to stop SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from getting into cells, replicating itself and making you sick.

There is no evidence that the vaccine will be less effective against the new variants of the virus.

The side effects can be like other vaccines immunizations. The most common issues are pain/redness at the injection site, headache, fatigue, muscle/joint aches and low-grade fever. If you have side effects, usually Tylenol or ibuprofen is helpful. Most often symptoms last less than 24 hours.

If you are not feeling well, it is recommended that you wait until you are feeling better to get the vaccine. Call your primary care physician with any questions.

Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should talk with their doctor about the vaccine.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for those ages 16 and older. The Moderna vaccine has been approved for those ages 18 and older. Additional studies are underway to determine safety and effectiveness for younger children.

Discuss your medical condition and the vaccine with your doctor for a personalized recommendation.

If you have a history of severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) to vaccines, talk with your doctor before receiving the vaccine.

Two shots are needed to provide the complete protection. The first one primes the immune system, helping it to recognize the virus, and the second one strengthens the immune response.

The vaccine requires two doses given three (Pfizer) or four (Moderna) weeks apart. Immunity takes some time to develop, at least two weeks after last the last injection. For example, someone vaccinated in late January won’t be fully protected until late February or early March.

You should receive both doses. The vaccine’s approximate 95 percent effectiveness is based on two doses taken by more than 78,000 clinical trial participants.

We don’t yet know how long protection lasts for those who get infected or those who are vaccinated.

No. The COVID-19 vaccine is not made with a live virus and cannot give you COVID-19.

Vaccines currently in clinical trials in the United States won’t cause you to test positive on viral tests, which are used to see if you have a current infection. Your body develops an immune response, which is the goal of vaccination, but you may test positive on some antibody tests. Antibody tests indicate you had a previous infection or that you have been vaccinated successfully and that you have some level of protection against the virus. Experts are currently looking at how COVID-19 vaccination may affect antibody testing results and how long immunity lasts after vaccination.

Yes. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people may be advised to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before. In general, you should wait at least several weeks after recovery from COVID-19 before being vaccinated. Consult with your physician.

At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity that is gained from having an infection (called natural immunity) varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long. Experts won’t know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until more data is available on how well it works.

Yes. While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to help stop this pandemic, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask, washing hands often, and staying at least 6 feet away from others.

Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide before changing recommendations on steps everyone should take to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Like most new medicines and vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines are tested for safety in large clinical trials.

The COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials follow these steps:

• Volunteers receive the vaccine.
• The volunteers regularly check in with scientists to report any side effects or illnesses.
• The scientists apply for Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration if the vaccine has data to support its safety and effectiveness.
• Scientists continue to follow the volunteers for at least two years to report any long-term or rare side effects and safety concerns.

Both the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine demonstrated an almost 95 percent rate of effectiveness during clinical trials.

In the simplest terms, a vaccine is a way for your immune system to practice for an infection. Vaccines give the body a preview of a virus or bacteria before you get the real thing. The immune system then learns and remembers how to react. This helps the body stop a virus or bacteria from making you sick if you are exposed to it.

For each vaccine study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FDA, and a safety committee called the Data Safety and Monitoring Board each have an independent group of experts who review all safety data as it comes in and provide regular updates. If a safety issue is found, immediate steps are taken to determine if the COVID-19 vaccine caused the issue, followed by an appropriate course of action.

That’s correct, the average vaccine takes roughly six years to go from development to distribution. Factors that can affect the timeline include:

• Funding and resources
• Establishing a protocol to show safety and effectiveness
• Manufacturing

The vaccines developed for COVID-19 are funded by the federal government through Operation Warp Speed (OWS). Clinical protocols were set by the federal government, which allowed the vaccine trials to begin as soon as a promising vaccine was developed.

Manufacturing of the vaccine began at the same time as the trials. Usually, manufacturing starts once the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine is proven, but in the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, researchers had a head start. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) are both caused by coronaviruses and are closely related to the virus that causes COVID-19. Vaccines were in development for both viruses, and research for them was applied to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.

More information about the COVID-19 vaccine can be found on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website at https://www.cdc.gov/. State and local information is available online at www.covid19.nj.gov for New Jersey and www.health.pa.gov for Pennsylvania.