Vaccine Information and FAQs

Vaccine Eligibility & Scheduling

Vaccine Eligibility & Scheduling If I am eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, how do I schedule an appointment? ↓

ZIKS Family Pharmacy is helping to administer vaccines in some areas with allocation and appointment availability continuing to increase. To check your eligibility and schedule for the COVID-19 vaccine, please click here.

Not every vaccine type requires a second dose, but if the vaccine appointment you schedule does require a second dose, we automatically reserve a second dose for you. Second dose appointment will be scheduled at your first dose appointment. A reminder will be sent to you within 24 hours before your second dose appointment.

If I’ve scheduled an appointment for a vaccine at ZIKS, what should I bring with me? ↓

Bring all of the following that apply to you:

  • All insurance cards, including Medical and Photo ID (such as driver license or government issued ID)
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Card if you have one
  • Parents/Guardians must be present with appropriate Photo ID (such as driver license or government issued ID) for ages 16 and 17
  • The latest version of your red, white and blue Medicare card

You will not be turned away if you do not have a photo ID or insurance.

Do I get to pick which vaccine I receive? ↓

Yes, this is determined while scheduling. Vaccine allocations are provided by the Ohio State Health Department and vaccine availability is determined by allocations from the state. All vaccines currently available in the United States are effective at preventing COVID-19, and we’re proud to administer them in our community. Check the CDC’s website for more information.

Can I get the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as another vaccine? ↓

The CDC has provided some guidance regarding whether you can get the COVID-19 vaccine alongside other vaccinations, including:

If you get the COVID-19 vaccine first, wait at least 14 days before getting any other vaccine, including a flu or shingles vaccine. If you get another vaccine first, wait at least 14 days before getting your COVID-19 vaccine. However, if a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine is inadvertently given within 14 days of another vaccine, you do not need to reschedule your Dose 2 appointment; you should still complete the series on schedule.

Can I schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment if I’m under 18? ↓

Eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine opened up to individuals 16+ across the country on April 19th and ZIKS Family Pharmacy is proud to help administer vaccines to all eligible individuals.

As of April 21st, the only authorized vaccine for individuals under 18 years of age is the Pfizer vaccine. Individuals 16 and 17 years of age are eligible to receive a Pfizer vaccine but because they are minors, parents/gaurdians must be present with appropriate Photo ID (such as driver license or government issued ID) at the vaccine appointment.

Vaccine & Safety Information

Why is there more than one type of COVID-19 vaccine? ↓

In order to develop effective vaccines as quickly as possible, the United States federal government launched a program with the goal of enabling research and development for several different vaccine approaches simultaneously for two key reasons:

  • It was unlikely that all vaccine approaches would be proven effective.
  • Some vaccine technologies require longer developmental timelines.

Learn more here.

How do the FDA-authorized vaccines work? ↓

The Moderna and Pfizer FDA-authorized vaccines use mRNA technology to boost your body’s immune response.

While COVID-19 may seem new to many of us, researchers have been studying coronaviruses for over 50 years. During this time, they’ve also been learning how mRNA technology can help develop effective vaccines. mRNA can be thought of as a set of instructions that tell your body’s cells how to make proteins.

  • The mRNA vaccine tells your body to make a small, non-infective portion of the outer part of the COVID-19 virus particle called a “spike protein”.
  • This trains your immune system to recognize the virus and your body responds by building antibodies.
  • Later, if you are exposed to the real virus, these antibodies are then able to attack it and prevent you from getting sick. The antibodies’ ability to prevent sickness is what is meant when people say a vaccine provides immunity.

A key benefit of mRNA vaccines is that the process to develop them can be standardized and scaled up more efficiently than other methods, which has been especially important in our response to COVID-19.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a viral vector vaccine. Viral vector vaccines use a modified version of a different virus (the vector) to deliver important instructions to our cells. For COVID-19 viral vector vaccines, the vector (not the virus that causes COVID-19, but a different, harmless virus) will enter a cell in our body and then use the cell’s machinery to produce a harmless piece of the virus that causes COVID-19. This piece is known as a spike protein and it is only found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19.

The cell displays the spike protein on its surface, and our immune system recognizes it doesn’t belong there. This triggers our immune system to begin producing antibodies and activating other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection.

At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect us against future infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. The benefit is that we get this protection from a vaccine, without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19. Any temporary discomfort experienced after getting the vaccine is a natural part of the process and an indication that the vaccine is working.

There are two other vaccines that are currently in their Phase 3 large-scale clinical trials.

As of 4/23/21, the pause on the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine has been lifted.

How effective are the FDA-authorized vaccines? ↓

All three vaccines have proven to be equally effective at preventing hospitalization and death related to COVID-19. While Moderna and Pfizer require two doses and strict cold storage requirements, the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine only requires one dose and can be kept in regular refrigerators (potentially making transportation and distribution easier). In U.S. trials, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was 72% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 after one dose. The Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective and the Moderna vaccine is 94.1% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses.

Learn more about the science and effectiveness of FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines here.

As of 4/23/21, the pause on the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine has been lifted.

Do I need to continue wearing a mask after I get the COVID-19 vaccine? ↓

Yes. Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide in real-world conditions before determining when people can safely stop wearing masks and following other protective measures.

While FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines have proven to prevent vaccinated individuals from experiencing COVID-19, experts are also still determining whether vaccines will prevent the ability to spread the virus.

Is it safe to get the COVID-19 Vaccine? ↓

All FDA-authorized vaccines have been developed using decades of research and studied in large-scale clinical trials. They are held to the same safety and effectiveness standards as all other vaccines. Individuals are monitored after receiving the vaccine to further ensure safety. The CDC has recommended special considerations for some individuals with underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines. Learn more about underlying conditions.

If I have already recovered from COVID-19, do I still need the vaccine? ↓

Yes. There is not enough research yet to know whether your body’s natural immune response to having had COVID-19 will continue to protect you after you recover. In order to limit chances of reinfection, and to help ensure that we stop the spread of COVID-19, it’s important that everyone who is eligible gets the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.

Are there risks of side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine? ↓

It is possible to experience side effects after receiving a vaccine. The most common side effects include pain or swelling in the arm where you get the vaccine, body chills, fever, rash, tiredness or headache. Side effects may feel like flu and even affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. You can find tips on how to reduce pain or discomfort if you experience side effects here.

Please note: If you received a two-dose vaccine, some have reported experiencing more severe symptoms after their required second dose. With Moderna or Pfizer, you will need 2 shots for 94% effectiveness. Get the second shot even if you have side effects after the first shot, unless a vaccination provider or your doctor tells you not to get a second shot.

As of 4/23/21, the pause on the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine has been lifted.

Is it possible to be allergic to the vaccine? ↓

Allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines are not common, but can happen. You will be monitored for 15 minutes after you get your COVID-19 vaccine dose by a registered health care professional. If you get a COVID-19 vaccine and you think you might be having a severe allergic reaction after leaving the vaccination site, seek immediate medical care by calling 911. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and rare severe allergic reactions here.

What ingredients are in the COVID-19 vaccine? ↓

FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines do not contain eggs, preservatives or latex.For a full list of ingredients, please see the fact sheets below:

What percentage of the population needs to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity? ↓

Herd immunity means that enough people in a community are protected from getting a disease because they’ve already had the disease, or they’ve been vaccinated. Experts do not yet know what percentage of people would need to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19; however, the CDC and other experts are actively studying this and will provide more information as it is available.

If I am pregnant or breastfeeding, can I get the COVID-19 vaccine? ↓

Pregnancy: While pregnant individuals may be eligible to get the vaccine it’s strongly recommended that you consult your doctor beforehand. At this time, there is limited data about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are pregnant. Based on how mRNA vaccines work (like Moderna & Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines), experts believe they are unlikely to pose a specific risk for people who are pregnant. However, the actual risks of mRNA vaccines to the pregnant person and her fetus are unknown because these vaccines have not been studied in pregnant women. Viral vector vaccines (like Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine) use a modified version of a different virus. Different vaccines that use the same viral vector have been given to pregnant people in all trimesters of pregnancy, including in a large-scale Ebola vaccination trial. No adverse pregnancy-related outcomes, including adverse outcomes that affected the infant, were associated with vaccination in these trials.

Breastfeeding: Yes, but you may want to consult your doctor. The COVID-19 vaccines authorized now are non-replicating vaccines, meaning they are able to create an immune response but do not reproduce inside host cells. Because non-replicating vaccines pose no risk for lactating people or their infants, COVID-19 vaccines are also thought to not be a risk to the breastfeeding infant. Therefore, lactating people may choose to be vaccinated. However, there is no data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating women or on the effects of these vaccines on the breastfed infant or on milk production/excretion at this time.

Can children get the COVID-19 vaccine? ↓

There are currently no FDA-authorized vaccines for use in individuals younger than 16 years of age at this time. As more research is completed, this may change. As of May 5, 2021, ZIKS Family Pharmacy is only administering the COVID-19 vaccines to individuals 16 years or older (the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine approved for ages 16 and 17). We will keep our page updated with the latest information.

Is there a difference in how the vaccines are administered? ↓

Not at the time of injection. There are a few differences in administration: Moderna and Pfizer require two doses to be effective (administered 28 days for Moderna vs. 21 days for Pfizer) while Johnson & Johnson/Janssen only requires a single dose. For two-dose vaccines, ZIKS Family Pharmacy ensures customers receive the same type of vaccine at the correct interval when they are automatically scheduled for their second appointment.

How To Plan For The Vaccine

What will it cost to get the COVID-19 vaccine? ↓

You will not be charged for the vaccine or its administration. The federal government will pay for the cost of the vaccine. Vaccine providers will be reimbursed for administering the vaccine by the patient’s insurance or by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) program for uninsured patients. Therefore, it is important that you bring all insurance cards to your appointment.

What should I expect on the day of my dose 1 vaccine visit? ↓

When you get vaccinated, you will receive a fact sheet about the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as information about possible side effects or allergic reactions. Immediately after, you will be monitored on-site for 15-30 minutes. If you do not experience any reactions that warrant further medical assistance, you will be allowed to leave.

Both Moderna & Pfizer vaccines require two doses for 94% effectiveness. If you make your dose 1 appointment at ZIKS Family Pharmacy, we will also schedule your second dose appointment. It is important that doses 1 & 2 are from the same vaccine. If you get both doses at ZIKS Family Pharmacy, we will ensure this is the case.

If you have access to a smartphone, we recommend that you sign up for V-safe, the CDC After Vaccination Health Checker tool.

What should I expect on the day of my dose 2 vaccine visit (if applicable)? ↓

Your dose 2 visit will follow the same procedure as your dose 1 visit, but you will additionally receive proof of vaccination once your visit is complete. If you have access to a smartphone, we recommend that you sign up for V-safe, the CDC After Vaccination Health Checker tool.

What is V-safe? ↓

V-safe is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after you receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Through V-safe, you can quickly tell CDC if you have any side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Depending on your answers, someone from CDC may call to check on you and get more information.

V-safe will also remind you to get your second COVID-19 vaccine dose if you need one, but it cannot schedule appointments.