Get the Shots... Save Lives!

Dispelling myths & sharing the fact about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccines are widely considered one of the greatest inventions of mankind.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that vaccines prevented over 10 million deaths between 2010 and 2015, and many millions more were protected from illness.

Despite this, there are growing anti-vaccination and vaccine hesitancy movements in Western countries.

Among other problems, these movements caused significant measles outbreaks in the United States, where the potentially deadly virus was once considered eliminated.

There is a lot of misinformation and misconceptions about vaccines that contribute to this growing problem. Here are the facts behind some of the most common vaccine myths.

Myths

You can delay routine vaccinations until the coronavirus pandemic is over.
The COVID-19 vaccines can make you sick.
The COVID-19 vaccines contain toxic ingredients.
The COVID-19 vaccines can overload your immune system.
Natural immunity is healthier and more effective than vaccine-induced immunity.
If everyone around me is immune, then I don't need to be vaccinated.
We don't get vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States.
The flu vaccine protects you against COVID-19.
The COVID-19 vaccines can cause autism.
The COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips.

Facts

Vaccines are essential for maintaining health & wellness.
The COVID-19 vaccines will not make you sick.
While some vaccines contain toxic ingredients (like formaldehyde and aluminum) but these amounts are so small that they're not considered toxic or harmful.
The immune system is resilient & isn't negatively affected by receiving simultaneous vaccines.
Vaccines allow the building of immunity without the damaging effects that vaccine-preventable diseases can have.
Getting vaccinated doesn’t just protect you, but your community too.
Not getting vaccinated can put yourself & your entire community at risk.
There's no evidence to support the claim that the flu vaccine protects against COVID-19.
No, the COVID-19 vaccines cannot cause autism.
No, the COVID-19 vaccines do not contain microchips. (It's also impossible for this to be the case.)

United Needs & Abilities, Inc. is committed to keeping a safe environment even during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNA has teamed up with CVS to sponsor a vaccine clinic campaign: “Get the shots… save lives.”

As such, we’ve decided it’s necessary to answer their questions and dispel various myths while focusing on the scientific facts. Our goal is to offer those we serve, and those they serve, to become informed consumers.

It’s important for people to understand how vaccines work in general, what makes the COVID-19 vaccines different, why it is important for all who can be vaccinated to be vaccinated, and what those who cannot be vaccinated should know to remain safe & healthy.

To that end, United Needs & Abilities partnered with Dr. Patrice Jackson-Ayotunde, Associate Professor from University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, to present a webinar on the COVID-19 vaccines with a question & answer segment that will be shared on our social media for public education.

So, who is our presenter?

Dr. Jackson-Ayotunde has been selected by an external review committee to serve as the Richard Bernstein Professor for a period of three years. She is an associate professor with tenure in the School of Pharmacy at the University System of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Over the past 10 years, her research has focused on the field of drug design and synthesis of novel chemical entities as potential agents for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy her research has led to many peer reviewed publications, abstracts, invited presentations, and most importantly, a US patent. She received the patent last year for her work in the area of enaminone derivatives.

Watch the Webinar NOW:

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a COVID-19 vaccine make me sick with COVID-19?

No. None of the authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines or COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19.

There are several different types of vaccines in development. All of them teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.

It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
After getting a COVID-19 vaccine, will I test positive for COVID-19 on a viral test?

No. Neither the recently authorized and recommended vaccines nor the other COVID-19 vaccines currently in clinical trials in the United States can cause you to test positive on viral tests, which are used to see if you have a current infection.

If your body develops an immune response—the goal of vaccination—there is a possibility you may test positive on some antibody tests. Antibody tests indicate you had a previous infection and that you may have some level of protection against the virus. Experts are currently looking at how COVID-19 vaccination may affect antibody testing results.
If I have already had COVID-19 and recovered, do I still need to get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine?

Yes. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, vaccine should be offered to you regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 infection. CDC is providing recommendations to federal, state, and local governments about who should be vaccinated first.

At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long.

We won’t know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until we have more data on how well the vaccines work.

Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about, and CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.
Will a COVID-19 vaccination protect me from getting sick with COVID-19?

Yes. COVID-19 vaccination works by teaching your immune system how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19, and this protects you from getting sick with COVID-19.

Being protected from getting sick is important because even though many people with COVID-19 have only a mild illness, others may get a severe illness, have long-term health effects, or even die. There is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you, even if you don’t have an increased risk of developing severe complications. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.
Will a COVID-19 vaccine alter my DNA?

No. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way.

Messenger RNA vaccines—also called mRNA vaccines—are the first COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States. mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept. This means the mRNA cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease. Learn more about how COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work.

At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect against future infection. That immune response and making antibodies is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies.