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Sheppard received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Jan. 20, 2021. Medical professionals at the 82nd Medical Group began administering the vaccine shortly there after consistent with DOD guidelines, beginning first responders including the following personnel: medics, security forces, Office of Special Investigations, and fire department.
No, the vaccine is not a live virus vaccine. It contains mRNA (a piece of DNA from the COVID-19 virus) and offers more safety over traditional vaccines. It encourages the body to make specific protein/antigen to fight COVID-19. Members may exhibit symptoms, but will not get the virus from the vaccine.
Currently there are two: Pfizer & Moderna. Pfizer is 95% effective and Moderna is 94.5%.
• Pfizer: 21 days • Moderna: 28 days
The most common side effects reported from the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are:
The most common side effects for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are:
Long-term effects have not been determined.
No. Currently the vaccine is approved under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). This allows the vaccine to bypass some but not all of the approval requirements set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when there is positive scientific data concluding that the product is safe and likely to treat or prevent disease. It is unknown if and when the vaccine will be made a mandatory requirement for DoD employees.
There is a possibility vaccinations will become mandatory once it is fully licensed by the FDA for active duty members and potentially for GS and contract civilians depending on where they work and their job expectations and/or contract.
This is your body’s response as it builds immunity and is not related to the COVID-19 virus. As stated before you cannot get the virus from the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines (a/o 19 Jan).
Drugs and vaccines have to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that only safe and effective products are available to the American public. During public health emergencies, when there is good scientific reason to believe that a product is safe and is likely to treat or prevent disease, the FDA may authorize its use through an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), even if definitive proof of the effectiveness of the drug or vaccine is not known. FDA pre-licensure approval is considered for treatment or prevention of diseases that are very serious. Source: MHS Communications Plan. COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) Prevention – Vaccination Questions and Answers.
Each potential recipient of COVID-19 vaccine will receive a vaccine-specific Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) Fact Sheet for Recipients from the FDA, which will provide the following information:
Source: CDC. COVID-19 Vaccine Training Modules. https://www2.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/covid19/SHVA/10080.asp
arly COVID-19 vaccines will be given in a two-dose series separated by 21 or 28 days, depending on the product. Vaccines from different manufacturers will NOT be interchangeable. The vaccinee must receive the same vaccine for both doses. Source: DHA-IHD. DoD COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Planning Update Newsletter. 4 November 2020.
No. Currently, second doses have been allotted to those who have received their first dose and has been taken into consideration in the DoD Vaccine distribution plan (a/o 19 Jan).
All vaccine recipients will be provided a copy of the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card after receipt of the vaccine. It is recommended that the second-dose appointment be made at the time of initial vaccinations, or instructions provided on procedures for second dose follow-up. If a vaccine recipient has a smartphone, it is recommended that they take a photo of the vaccination record card as a back-up copy and set a calendar reminder for receipt of the second dose. Source: Draft DHA-IPM 20-xxx . DoD Coronavirus Disease (COVID)-19 Vaccination Program (CVP) Implementation.
If you are currently positive, you will first need to finish the entirety of your isolation orders and be cleared by the 82nd MDG to return to work. Once you have been cleared for duty by a medical professional, we encourage you to get the vaccine any time after that. Keep in mind, most people have a ~3 month natural immunity post-disease, so you do have some time.
Because the duration of immunity from natural infection with COVID-19 is unknown, vaccine may have value in protecting people who have already had the disease. Early evidence suggests natural immunity from COVID-19 may not last very long, but more studies are needed to better understand this. Talk with your provider if you have been previously infected with COVID-19. Source: CDC. Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html
Masks and physical distancing will still be necessary until a large proportion of the population is vaccinated and the vaccine is proven to provide long-term protection. Global and national public health authorities are expected to continue to recommend wearing masks and practicing physical distancing, for everyone, until pandemic risk of COVID-19 is substantially reduced. Source: MHS Communications Plan. COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) Prevention – Vaccination Questions and Answers.
The risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19 increases with age, with the greatest risk among those aged 85 or older. Adults of any age with the following conditions are also at increased risk of severe illness: Cancer; chronic kidney disease, COPD; heart disease; weakened immune system; obesity; pregnancy; sickle cell disease; smoking; and type 2 diabetes mellitus. COVID-19 is a new disease. Currently there are limited data and information about the impact of many underlying medical conditions and whether they increase risk. Talk with your provider about your individual risk factors and appropriate precautions. Sources: CDC. Older Adults. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html CDC. People with Certain Medical Conditions. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
DoD is confident in the stringent regulatory process and requirements of the FDA. Manufacturers are required to submit their raw data for the FDA to review. Safety, immune response, and efficacy data from the trial stages are submitted to the FDA before they are authorized for use and distribution. Per FDA requirements, DoD will be monitoring and tracking vaccine reports of vaccine side effects through various surveillance activities both internal and external to the DoD.
The DoD will offer vaccine to civilian and contractor staff with direct patient care and to those who normally receive vaccine for occupational health purposes, as authorized in accordance with DoD regulation. This may include some of those working on installations or depots or arsenals, and we are continuing to refine these populations in preparation for the additional vaccination efforts following vaccination of healthcare workers.
As vaccines are received, the 82nd MDG will follow the DoD Population Schema to prioritize vaccinations focusing on personnel who work on the installation first. The timeline of determining when a specific population will receive their vaccination is dependent on the amount of doses received and how many personnel/beneficiaries volunteer to receive the vaccinations (a/o 19 Jan).
The 82nd MDG will inform beneficiaries when vaccinations are available for dependents. We encourage beneficiaries to also consider local resources for receiving vaccinations
If the member receiving the vaccine is on flying status, there will be a 48-hour DNIF after receiving each dose of the vaccine.
No, volunteering is in no way legally binding. However, once a vaccine is thawed and mixed for you, it must be administered in a short timeframe (~6 hrs.). If the vaccine is not administered within the timeframe, it will be discarded.
Yes. It is encouraged that individuals receive the flu shot before the vaccine is administered.
If you can only receive one dose, it is still better than none. However, it will be tracked and individuals must get the second dose ASAP after 21 or 28 days from the first.
Yes. Please click here for information.
Vaccinations will be documented. In addition, the screening questionnaire will be uploaded into your electronic health record.
Please discuss the pros/cons of receiving the vaccine with your PCM. If you carry an epi pen, it is still recommended you receive the vaccine, although it will require an additional 15 mins of observation time after the dose is administered (30 mins total). This is because people with substantial allergies are noted for higher instances of reactions to the vaccine.
There is no plan to vaccinate families together. Vaccinations will be prioritized according to the DoD Population Schema.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts • CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Page • FDA COVID-19 Vaccine Page • DOD Coronavirus Update • Moderna Vaccine Fact Sheet • Pfizer Vaccine Fact Sheet