You can’t get COVID-19 from the vaccine. Vaccine components include:

• Active Ingredient nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike protein of SARS-CoV-2
• Gene for spike protein plus weakened “cold” virus for viral vector vaccines (Janssen vaccine)
• Protein subunit vaccines contain pieces (proteins) of the virus that causes COVID-19. These virus pieces are the spike protein (Novavax vaccine)

Four lipids (including polyethylene glycol or PEG)

• PEG is used in laxatives and in bowel preparation used before colonoscopy and is the most likely component to cause symptoms or allergic reaction
• Four salts (including NaCl) which act as a pH buffer
• Sugar (sucrose)
• Polysorbate 80 commonly used in foods such as some ice creams, puddings, gelatin, etc. (component of Janssen Vaccine)

The current COVID-19 vaccines do not contain thimerosal, mercury, aluminum, egg, antibiotics, or preservatives.

No. None of the authorized vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19, so they cannot give you COVID-19.

After receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, you may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. Side effects are typically mild to moderate, occur within the first 3 days beginning the day of the vaccination, and resolve within 1-2 days of onset. Some people have no side effects.

Common side effects on the arm where you received the shot include pain, redness, and swelling. Throughout the rest of your body, you may feel tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

For more information, please see the CDC's Possible Side Effects After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine.

No. COVID-19 vaccines to not change or interact with your DNA in any way. The vaccines teach our bodies how to protect against future COVID infections. Learn more about how the vaccines work from the CDC

Health experts and scientists have been monitoring the presence and significance of various genetic strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus since the beginning of the pandemic. Scientists are still working to better understand how widespread the latest variants of interest are and their impacts on existing therapies, vaccines, and tests. Current evidence suggests that the current vaccines are very effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Click the CDC link here to learn the latest about variants from the CDC.

An initial COVID-19 vaccine is incredibly effective in preventing a severe case. But like many viruses, a booster or routine shot is needed to maintain protection. DHEC's booster page breaks down the various ages and situations where a booster is recommended.

• Most individuals, depending on age, previously vaccinated with a monovalent COVID-19 vaccine who have not yet received a dose of a bivalent vaccine may receive a single dose of a bivalent vaccine.
• Individuals 65 years of age and older who have received a single dose of a bivalent vaccine may receive one additional dose at least four months following their initial bivalent dose.
• Most individuals with certain kinds of immunocompromises who have received a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine may receive a single additional dose of a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months following a dose of a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, and additional doses may be administered at the discretion of, and at intervals determined by, their healthcare provider. However, for immunocompromised individuals 6 months through 4 years of age, eligibility for additional doses will depend on the vaccine previously received.

If you have completed your primary (monovalent) series, plus a single bivalent booster dose, no additional booster is authorized at this time for most individuals (see exceptions below)

• Most individuals who have already received a single dose of the bivalent vaccine are not currently eligible for another dose. The FDA intends to make decisions about future vaccination after receiving recommendations on the fall strain composition at an FDA advisory committee in June.

If you have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19

• Most unvaccinated individuals may receive a single dose of a bivalent vaccine, rather than multiple doses of the original monovalent mRNA vaccines.
• Children 6 months through 5 years of age who are unvaccinated may receive a two-dose series of the Moderna bivalent vaccine (6 months through 5 years of age) OR a three-dose series of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine (6 months through 4 years of age). Children who are 5 years of age may receive two doses of the Moderna bivalent vaccine or a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine.

Boosters for Children ages 6 months through 5 years of age

• Children 6 months through 5 years of age who have received one, two or three doses of a monovalent COVID-19 vaccine may receive a bivalent vaccine, but the number of doses that they receive will depend on the vaccine and their vaccination history.

Learn more about booster shots here.

Yes. Once they have completed their isolation period, people previously infected with COVID-19 should receive the vaccine. According to the CDC, people appear to become susceptible to reinfection after more than 90 days from the time they were initially infected. Reinfection appears to be rare during the first 90 days after someone was infected with COVID-19. It is currently unknown how long immunity from natural infection lasts, and being vaccinated can help prevent re-infection, serious illness, hospitalization and death.

The federal government is providing the vaccine free of charge to all people living in the United States. Vaccination providers can be reimbursed for vaccine administration fees by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund. No one can be denied a vaccine if they are unable to pay a vaccine administration fee, and no one should receive a bill for receiving the vaccine.​

Anyone who has received their vaccine and has a question about any charges, fees or associated costs should contact their vaccine provider.

No. You don’t need insurance. A provider can't deny you a vaccine if you don’t have insurance.

However, if you're wondering why a provider is asking for your health insurance card, it’s because a provider may get reimbursed for giving you a vaccine. They need your card to seek payment. Your health insurance company or the federal government may pay a fee.

Even if you provide your insurance card, you won't pay any out-of-pocket costs for a COVID-19 vaccine. You won't pay deductibles, co-insurance or co-payments.

COVID-19 vaccines are administered by intramuscular (IM) injection, a shot in the arm.

After receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, you may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. Side effects are typically mild to moderate, occur within the first 3 days beginning the day of the vaccination, and resolve within 1-2 days of onset. Some people have no side effects.

Common side effects on the arm where you received the shot include pain, redness, and swelling. Throughout the rest of your body, you may feel tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

For more information, please see the CDC's Possible Side Effects After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine.

If you have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19,

• Most unvaccinated individuals may receive a single dose of a bivalent vaccine, rather than multiple doses of the original monovalent mRNA vaccines.
• Children 6 months through 5 years of age who are unvaccinated may receive a two-dose series of the Moderna bivalent vaccine (6 months through 5 years of age) OR a three-dose series of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine (6 months through 4 years of age). Children who are 5 years of age may receive two doses of the Moderna bivalent vaccine or a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine.

After receiving your first shot, you will receive a paper immunization record that will be completed at the time of vaccination. It will include the vaccine you received, date and location, and date when your next shot is needed. Individuals will be reminded when it’s time to receive their second shot.

The vaccine you receive and when you need the second dose is confidential health information that is carefully managed to protect your privacy.

It's recommended that both of your first two shots of a two-shot series vaccine (either Pfizer or Moderna) be the same brand. If your first shot was Moderna, your second shot should also be Moderna, and the same for Pfizer. However, after completing your two-shot series of either Pfizer or Moderna, you may choose to "mix and match" and receive a different brand for your booster shot. Learn more about booster shots here.

If you were to get COVID-19 in between doses of vaccine, you should wait until your acute illness is over and you’ve completed your isolation period. Your doctor will provide more information and recommendations specifically for you.

Yes. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. No vaccine will be released until it has passed the same tough scientific and clinical testing that all vaccines in development are held to.

Vaccine development usually takes many years, however, scientists had already begun research for coronavirus vaccines during previous outbreaks caused by related coronaviruses, such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). That earlier research provided a head start for rapid development of vaccines to protect against infection with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The FDA can issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to allow the use of unapproved medical products (or unapproved uses of approved medical products) in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions when specific criteria have been met, including that there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.

Manufactures submit a request for an EUA to the FDA which is reviewed, and a determination is made by the FDA about authorizing the EUA.

Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are authorized for those who are 6 months and up, Novavax vaccines are authorized for those who are 12 and older and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines are authorized for those who are 18 and older.

In South Carolina, individuals 16 and older are able to consent to vaccination without parental permission. They do not need to be accompanied to a vaccine appointment by a parent or guardian. However, consent is required by a parent or legal guardian for children ages 6 months through 15 years before they can receive their Pfizer vaccine. All vaccine providers have their own unique immunization consent forms. 

COVID-19 vaccines currently are not approved in people under 6 months of age. There is some evidence that other vaccines, specifically MMR and Pneumovax, can help protect against COVID-19. These are routine pediatric vaccines. Check with your pediatrician to make sure your children are up to date on their vaccinations, and if they are not, talk to your health care provider about catching up on these vaccines.

People with autoimmune conditions may receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. However, they should be aware that no data are currently available on the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for them. People with autoimmune conditions were included in the Phase 3 studies for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and no flares of disease were seen. However, this represents only a small number of people. As more vaccine is administered, the CDC and FDA will have more information on the risk of an inflammatory response (flare) for a person with autoimmune disease. There is strong evidence from the clinical trials, however, that taking the vaccine greatly reduces the chance that a person will get COVID-19, which can be a serious or even fatal illness.

Persons who have previously had GBS may receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. To date, no cases of GBS have been reported following vaccination among participants in the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. With few exceptions, the independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) general best practice guidelines for immunization do not include a history of GBS as a precaution to vaccination with other vaccines.

Cases of Bell’s palsy were reported in participants in the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not consider these to be above the rate expected in the general population. They have not concluded these cases were caused by vaccination. Therefore, persons who have previously had Bell’s Palsy may receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

The Society for Fetal and Maternal Medicine recommends women be offered the vaccine if pregnant. While pregnant women were excluded from national vaccine trials, it’s understood that the theoretical risk of fetal harm from these vaccines is very low. More than 35,000 women pregnant at the time of vaccination have been followed by the CDC. They have not had problems with the pregnancy at a rate higher than the background rate among non-vaccinated pregnant women. Find additional information here.

COVID-19 disease during pregnancy, on the other hand, places the woman and her unborn child at increased risk. Pregnant women with COVID-19 disease are at increased risk of blood clots, preterm birth, or severe illness requiring hospitalization, intensive care, or ventilator support when compared to nonpregnant women. Find additional information here. 

There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems, which are problems trying to get pregnant. If you are trying to become pregnant now or want to get pregnant in the future, you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine. CDC does not recommend routine pregnancy testing before COVID-19 vaccination. Like with all vaccines, scientists are studying COVID-19 vaccines carefully for side effects now and will report findings as they become available.

In general, people with diabetes do not have more severe or different side effects than others. However, you may experience some changes in your blood glucose (sugar) control. It is smart to plan ahead just in case. Keep a sick-day kit with extra medications and supplies just in case you do not feel well. You may want to monitor your blood glucose more closely. If you use insulin, consult with your physician about whether you should adjust your insulin if needed.

Currently, there is no electronic confirmation version of a vaccine certificate available in South Carolina.

DHEC recommends that anyone wishing to travel to another country learn about that country's vaccination confirmation requirements. If a digital record or QR code is required, contact the appropriate travel authorities within the destination country to discuss options. 

Please contact your vaccine provider. They should be able to mail you a copy or email it to you from their online portal. Otherwise, you can get the record from VAMS, MyChart or the online portal that you used to register for your vaccine.
 
You can also go to your local health department or contact simon@dhec.sc.gov to request your record. You'll need to provide your name, date of birth and a phone number where you can be reached. You will receive your paper record in the mail. Local health departments can also provide a replacement vaccination card if needed. 

DHEC is currently evaluating a proposed digital immunization record program internally and has no precise timeline for completion of that process.

The proposed digital immunization record program would give citizens access to their immunization records through a secure online site that previously were only available on paper copies. Digitizing these important records has been a DHEC priority since 2017 through its ongoing public access project, the goal of which is to prevent individuals from having to travel to a local health department or provider office in person during business hours to get copies of their or their child/guardian’s immunization records. Learn more here.