The NATIVE Project is committed to providing understandable, current, and transparent information about the COVID-19 vaccine for our patients and community. We all have questions and concerns. Below is a guide for understanding the vaccine process for our clinic. Also, there are a list of facts that we hope provides valuable vaccination information to assist in your decision for you and your family.
All information below is based on Washington (WA) State and CDC guidelines.
We now know that COVID-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future. It’s important to understand how to live our lives while keeping ourselves, loved ones and community as safe as possible. How can we do that? By using all the tools we’ve learned so far: staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, getting tested and staying home if sick or exposed, wearing a mask in crowds, and keeping our distance.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older should get an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine.
People who are up to date have lower risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 than people who are unvaccinated or who have not completed the doses recommended for them by CDC.
Most people ages 5 years old and older just need one updated 2024-2025 dose to be up to date.
There are two types of COVID-19 vaccines available:
- mRNA vaccines
- Moderna 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine – available for ages 6 months and older
- Pfizer 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine – available for ages 6 months and older
- Protein subunit vaccines
- Novavax 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine – available for ages 12 years and older
There is no recommendation for any one COVID-19 vaccine over another when more than one recommended and age-appropriate vaccine is available.
Check out some of these resources below to find out more about COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for you and your family:
- Getting Vaccinated to Protect Against COVID-19 Illness (wa.gov)
- COVID-19 Vaccine Reference Guide for children 6 months to 4 years old (wa.gov)
- COVID-19 Vaccine Reference Guide for all who are Immunocompromised (wa.gov)
- Protect Yourself Against Respiratory Illnesses (wa.gov)
- Protect Yourself from Long COVID: Get Vaccinated (wa.gov)
The Washington State Department of Health is currently updating webpages and documents to align with the most recent CDC guidance.