While we never suspected at this time of year last year that we would be in a global pandemic, going out only if wearing a facemask to protect each other, or that we would be limited on where we can go, and not knowing when we will be able to go back to normality, we are undoubtedly ecstatic that we have found a vaccine that could help with the process of going back to normal. The new vaccine has brought many families hope and made them believe that they might overcome this pandemic. While this pandemic could have been handled better than initially, and with a new President in office, we are beginning to see something new from different perspectives. Currently, two vaccines are authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19.

The COVID-19 vaccine right now is being distributed by two companies, one of which is Pfizer-BioNTech. Some general information on this vaccine is that it has a Diluent of 0.9% sodium chloride it has normal saline and is preservative-free. It has a multidose vial of up to 6 vials per day, and the dosage will be 0.3 mL. The age restrictions for this vaccine will be 16 years of age or older. When you get this vaccine, you have to have two separate doses separated by 21 days. A series started with the Pfizer vaccine cannot be completed with the other vaccine available. The injection will be intramuscular in the deltoid muscle.

The second COVID-19 vaccine available right now Is the Moderna vaccine. The general information on this vaccine is very similar to the last but does have a few differences. The vaccine requires a multidose vial of 10 doses per vial, and the dosage will. Be 0.5 mL. This vaccine is not to be mixed with any diluent. When there is not enough vaccine to obtain a total dose, you are to discard the vial. Do NOT combine residual vaccine from multiple vials to receive an amount. The age restriction for the Moderna vaccine is 18 years of age or older. The schedule to obtain the full dosage of this vaccine is separated by two days which have to be 28 days apart. A series started with the COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna) should be completed with the same brand product. The injection will be intramuscular in the deltoid muscle, just like the Pfizer vaccine.

On Monday, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. obtained enough vaccines to vaccine all U.S. citizens by receiving 200 more vaccine doses, fulfilling an agreement he outlined at the beginning of his administration.

“We’ve now purchased enough vaccine supplies to vaccinate all Americans,” President Biden said during a visit to the NIH. “Now we’re working to those vaccines into the arms of millions of people.”

In caution, I state that this vaccine is not mandatory to have. We can still fight this virus by not having it, but it is a fantastic addition to fight the virus that we can have.

Contributing sources:

Bacon, John, and Elinor Aspegren. “Vaccinated People Don’t Need Quarantine; US Death Rate down; Fauci Predicts Plenty of Vaccine Available by Spring: Latest COVID-19 Updates.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/02/11/covid-news-los-angeles-vaccine-who-new-york-coronavirus/6711165002/.  

“Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Information.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Dec. 2020, www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/moderna/index.html.  

“Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Information.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Jan. 2021, www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/index.html.