Navigating COVID-19 Vaccine Updates

December 18, 2020   |   Evidence in Integrative Healthcare

While vaccination of frontline healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities begins across the nation to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to know where to get trusted information about these vaccines.

The CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine page highlights a wealth of knowledge about safety, efficacy, dose recommendations, side effects, costs, regulations, and more. Though all COVID-19 vaccinations purchased with U.S. tax-payer money will be provided at no cost, there may be administrative fees that will be reimbursed by public or private health insurance. The COVID-10 Claims Reimbursement program administered by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “will provide claims reimbursement to health care providers generally at Medicare rates for testing uninsured individuals for COVID-19, for treating uninsured individuals with a COVID-19 primary diagnosis, and for COVID-19 vaccine administration to the uninsured.”

v-safe by the CDC “is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after you receive a COVID-19 vaccination. 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. And v-safe will remind you to get your second COVID-19 vaccine dose if you need one.” When patients receive the COVID-10 vaccination, the rendering healthcare provider will provide a v-safe information sheet that details how to register and use the tool.

The FDA’s COVID-19 Vaccine page has information for a deep dive into the safety, efficacy, quality, and regulation of the emerging vaccines.

State and local information about the vaccine distribution and supply, as well as safety and efficacy can be found on individual State’s websites. Following are the COVID-19 Vaccine pages for Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, and Montana: