COVID-19 vaccine: everything you need to know about timelines, hidden costs and much more

The United States is preparing tens of millions Doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2020 and you have questions. How many vaccinations will there be and how will they be given? Is it free or or you will have to pay? How long will you personally have to wait to receive it, and can you choose which brand of vaccine you receive?

Here is everything we know about coronavirus vaccine so far and what you can expect when it arrives.

How Many Coronavirus Vaccines Will There Be?

Dozens of vaccine candidates are being developed worldwide, but two of them Pfizer and Moderna, claims to be 95% and 94% effective against coronavirus, respectively. Both have asked for extraordinary approval food and medicine administration to get vaccines already at the end of December.

Pfizer and mRNA from SARS-CoV-2 virus (this is the official name of the coronavirus). Expect other types of vaccines to come, such as from Novavax and AstraZeneca in collaboration with Oxford University.

How many people will be immunized against COVID-19 first?

Pfizer and Moderna are increasing production, but we know that initially in 2020 Pfizer will have up to 50 million doses of vaccine and Moderna 20 million doses of vaccine. In 2021, we can expect to see 1.3 billion doses from Pfizer and from 500 million to 1 billion doses from Moderna.

After the initial vaccine, a second dose will be needed after a certain period of weeks (this may be three or four weeks, depending on which vaccine you receive). This is required for both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. As a result, 10 million people, for example, can be vaccinated with 20 million doses. The United States has a population of about 330 million.

Is COVID-19 a shot or something?

The current immunization works as a series of two injections given several weeks apart to allow complete inoculation. There may be another type of vaccination in the future, such as an infusion into which the vaccine is given intravenously.

When can I get the vaccine? Is there an order for who gets it first?

Yes. Because the doses are so limited, countries will prioritize which groups of people will be in the front row to receive COVID-19 immunization. The Advisory Group of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made a recommendation which could be accepted by the CDC. But each country will have the last word.

Every major global and local recommendation to date has put healthcare professionals at the top of the list, with the general population at the bottom. Depending on who you are, you may have to wait until spring or summer, when there will be enough vaccine to bypass to get immunized. Here is a more complete list who is likely to receive COVID-19 first (and last).

How do I know when I can get vaccinated? What do I do while I wait for the vaccine to arrive?

Your national and local healthcare provider will start contacting who can first immunize against COVID-19 and how to do so. We will pay attention to more details and will update this section as we learn more.

Meanwhile, health experts stress that you need to do this continue to wear a face mask, socially away from people outside your household and wash your hands to slow the spread of disease. There are currently more than 14 million cases in the United States, with more than 276,000 deaths, as infections continue to rise alongside record hospitalizations.

Can I choose which coronavirus vaccine I receive?

It is not clear whether you will have a choice of which brand or type of vaccine you will receive. This may depend on how much vaccine is given in your area and where you are receiving it.

It also depends on whether you live near a medical center with “medical-grade ultracold freezers,” reports USA Today, because the Pfizer vaccine must be kept in cold, dry ice. Moderna, on the other hand, can be stored at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 30 days, making it much more readily available.

Note that as soon as you receive the first shot of the vaccine, you will need to stick to that brand in the second shot.

When will the vaccine be available to everyone?

According to Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser to the federal government’s Warp Speed ​​operation, anyone in the United States could be vaccinated against COVID-19 by June. Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief expert on infectious diseases in the United States, expects everyone to have access to the vaccine between April and June 2021.

When you receive a coronavirus vaccine, but this will depend on which group you belong to. You could receive it in January if you are a healthcare worker, or you may have to wait until June if you are a younger adult without any previous circumstances.

How much will a coronavirus vaccine cost?

Whether or not you have health insurance, the COVID-19 vaccine will be free to all Americans, according to Medicare and Medicaid Services. The government organization also announced plans to make sure you can reimburse any FDA-approved coronavirus treatment for which you have been charged.

But the fact that the vaccine itself is free does not mean that you will not receive an invoice. According to the CDC, many providers may legally charge an administration fee for delivering a shot to patients. However, you can make a claim with your insurance company as they have to cover the approved preventive care under the Affordable Law.

Read more: The COVID-19 vaccine may be free, but you may still see the bill. Here’s what we know

Where can I get the vaccine when it’s here? Does it have to be in the hospital?

Like the flu vaccine, you may be able to get the coronavirus vaccine from pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, doctors’ offices and health departments. A Walgreen spokesman told CNET that its pharmacies would distribute COVID-19 vaccines to customers, but did not say when.

It is also possible that schools and community centers will initially serve as vaccination sites to accommodate more people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The organization also says countries will have to approve “hundreds to thousands of partners and vaccine delivery points”.

What happens after I receive COVID-19? Can I go wherever I want?

Once you have received the first coronavirus vaccine, you will receive a vaccination card detailing which shots you have received and when you should return to the second.

Once you have received both doses of COVID-19, the CDC recommends that you continue to practice social distancing and wear a mask while in the community. The CDC says it is important to do so until “experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 provides in real conditions”.

Although so far scientific evidence suggests reinfection is uncommon, there is still a lot we do not know about the new virus. Therefore, it is important to follow the CDC guidelines to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus, whether or not you have been vaccinated.

For more information on the coronavirus vaccine, here is everything you need to know about the coronavirus vaccines that are being introduced this year and A list of CDC priorities for who will receive the vaccine first.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical assistance. Always consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider about any questions you may have about your health condition or health goals.