vax511

No. All vaccines are approved by the FDA are safe and effective against the SARS Co-V 2 virus (COVID 19). At this time NorthShore is administering the Pfizer vaccine per the FDA and CDC recommendations.

For those getting vaccinated for the first time, NorthShore is administering the Pfizer vaccine. For those requiring an in-brand booster, Moderna is available by appointment only.

Yes, you may schedule through NorthShoreConnect, making sure to and follow the prompts to indicate you are scheduling for a second dose.

Hospital locations and physicians cannot help you schedule vaccine appointments at this time. The best way to schedule is via NorthShoreConnect or by calling: 847.982.5000.

There’s no charge for COVID-19 vaccinations or their administration. Those without health insurance can get vaccinated without out-of-pocket costs. If you believe you have been charged for your vaccine, please contact our Billing Customer Service office at 847.570.5000.

Please know that NorthShore will never call and charge you money to help you sign-up for NorthShoreConnect; and we will never ask for remote access to your computer. If you receive such a call, please hang up because this is a scam.

No. While the vaccine doesn’t contain either live or dead virus, you may develop “flu-like” symptoms such as tiredness, fevers or headaches after receiving one or both doses of the vaccine but these usually resolve within three days.

Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection is possible, people may be advised to get a vaccine even if they have been sick with the virus before. If you have had a previous COVID infection, you should wait at least 10 days since your symptom-onset or test date with resolving symptoms before receiving the vaccine.

No. If you currently have a COVID-19 infection, you should wait at least 10 days since your symptom-onset or test date with resolving symptoms before receiving the vaccine.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices has stated that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are eligible to receive the vaccine. If you have specific questions, please reach out to your healthcare provider.

This is a myth. There’s no data to suggest the COVID vaccine causes infertility. There also has been no changes to fertility rates in people who’ve had COVID and have recovered. A few other myths about the vaccine also are unfounded: The vaccine does not insert a “chip” or permanent marker in your genetic material. Both vaccines are mRNA and will naturally degrade over time like other mRNA your body makes. And the vaccine can’t give you COVID.

Pfizer’s trial originally included 2,268 children and then subsequently expanded it to 4,500 children. Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine three weeks apart; one-third received two injections of a saline placebo. According to Pfizer’s data for this group, the vaccine was 90.7% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19. Kids who received the two-dose regimen experienced a robust antibody response similar to that experience by older kids. The study found the Pfizer vaccine to be safe, effective and well-tolerated with no cases of severe illness or heart conditions. Mild side effects were on par with those experienced by older kids and last one-to-three days.

The FDA evaluated the safety and efficacy of Pfizer’s vaccine for younger children, saying that the benefits of preventing severe cases of COVID-19 with the Pfizer vaccine generally outweighed the risks.

Yes. Children in Pfizer’s 5-to-11-year-old group received two 10-microgram doses. By comparison, older kids (age 12-17) received two 30-microgram doses. Trial studies found that a fractional dosage produced an immune response in younger kids that was roughly equivalent to the immune response experienced in patients 16-to-25 years old. This may be because that younger kids have more robust immune systems.

The side effects for children from clinical trials are on par with those experienced by adolescents. The FDA reports the most commonly reported side effects in the adolescent trial were pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever, and joint pain. Side effects faded quickly, typically in one-to-three days and can be treated with rest and over-the-counter remedies.

Hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. have received COVID-19 vaccines in the largest and most scrutinized vaccine program in the country’s history. Among them: millions of kids 12 and up have shown the vaccine to be safe and effective in younger patients.

While COVID-19 vaccines are new, the mRNA technology used in Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines has been studied for about 15 years.

mRNA molecules occur naturally in humans, and the molecules from the vaccine are destroyed and don’t stay in the body. This means the vaccines are safe for kids’ growing bodies and don’t affect puberty, fertility, or brain development.

Yes. COVID-19 is safe and effective and protects the children themselves as well as older and more vulnerable people with whom they interact—grandparents, parents, teachers, etc. Their chance to get vaccinated and stay healthy comes ahead of the return to winter—when cold weather drives many kids’ activities indoors and COVID-19 cases and variants tend to surge.

Individuals age 5 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

In general, it is safe for a child with severe food, venom, or medication allergies to receive COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use in 5-year-olds and older is the Pfizer vaccine. Children allergic to any component of the COVID-19 vaccine should not receive the vaccine.

In addition, NorthShore University HealthSystem is conducting a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored clinical trial investigating how patients with histories of severe allergies react to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. This trial is open to participants age 12 and older. Participants will be observed for 90 minutes by an allergist after vaccine administration. If you are interested in participating in this clinical trial, please reach out to your allergist or email ctc@northshore.org.

At this time, Pfizer is the only vaccination approved for patients 5 years old and older. We continue to monitor FDA guidance. Please check this website for updates.

At this time, a parent or legal guardian must be physically present when their child arrives for their NorthShore vaccination appointment or the vaccination cannot be administered.

Yes. Parents or legal guardians must authorize a “consent for care” and a “vaccination consent” for a child under 18 years of age to be vaccinated. This must be done onsite at the time of the initial appointment.

NorthShore currently is providing only the Pfizer vaccine. While Johnson & Johnson has been newly approved for general use, NorthShore has not been provided and therefore is not administering Johnson & Johnson vaccines at this time.

Because any vaccine relies on the immune system to create the protection against the infection, it is possible that people who are immunocompromised or have a weakened immune system may not have as good of a response to the COVID-19 vaccine. However, in the vaccine administered groups, participants who developed COVID-19 infection had much milder disease. Thus, it is possible that if you receive the vaccine, you may not be fully protected from infection; however, if you develop an infection it is likely to be much milder than without the vaccine. It is not specifically known if patients receiving/who have received a bone marrow transplant would have a different response, and this should be discussed with your transplant physician.

We recommend that you receive the vaccine when it is available to you. Patients 18-64 years old with underlying health conditions, including cancer and other immunocompromised patients are in “Phase 1c”, which will come next. We do not know at this time when additional allotments will be made available for this group.
The only exceptions are:

1. Those with contraindications unrelated to their cancer.
2. Patients who have received a bone marrow transplant in the last 90 days or have a prolonged low blood count from treatment of diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma should check with their oncologist as a delay until recovery of low blood counts may be recommended.
3. Patients scheduled for surgery within a few days.

This is probably not the case, although patients receiving checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy drugs and other medications that increase the immune system could theoretically have a greater reaction and greater risk of side effects, although this seems not to have been the case with influenza vaccines.

This is unknown, but experience with many other vaccines indicates this is quite unlikely. However, because there are significant risks to cancer patients with COVID-19 infection there is likely to be more benefit from the vaccine than any risk to making the cancer worse.

Yes. Some of the questions above had been raised about the yearly influenza (flu) vaccines. We routinely recommend the flu vaccine to our patients with cancer who are immunocompromised or have a weakened immune system. Studies have shown that in cancer patients the flu vaccine is effective for helping to decrease the risk of getting the flu, and even if somewhat less effective, still gives some protection.

We recommend you receive vaccine as soon as it is available to you. IF there are multiple options available to you, try to avoid receiving the vaccine when your blood counts may be low (such as 7-14 days after chemotherapy) to avoid a possible vaccine-associated fever at a time when blood counts are low, and avoid 1-2 days prior to coming to the clinic for a treatment or exam (to avoid being turned away for a vaccine associated fever).

We currently only have safety data from the short-term duration of the study trial. This means that we don’t know all of the potential side effects of the vaccine, particularly long-term side effects. We do know that the following have been reported as possible side effects which can last up to a week after receiving the vaccine:

• Pain and redness at the injection site
• Feeling tired and run down a day after receiving the vaccine
• Headache, muscle aches, chills, joint pains, or fever
• Possible allergic reaction in individuals with known allergies

These symptoms are a sign that your immune system is mounting a response to the vaccine which is good, and is to be expected in an immune response. Remember: these symptoms are expected side effects and aren’t allergies. You should complete the two-dose vaccination series.

Anaphylaxis after vaccination can be seen with any vaccine or medication. However, it’s rare and often occurs in patients with no prior history of allergic reaction. The risk for anaphylaxis to vaccines has been reported to be approximately one in every million doses. To put this in perspective, the risk of anaphylaxis to penicillin is much higher—approximately one out of 2,000-10,000 courses of treatment.

Because rare cases of anaphylaxis to vaccines happen, it’s recommended that vaccines be administered in settings equipped with epinephrine and medical personnel trained to treat allergic reactions. With 21 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine expected to be distributed in the coming weeks, we may see some allergic reactions. That’s why a 15-minute post-observation period is recommended for everyone who is vaccinated at this time. Anyone with a history of anaphylaxis, the observation period will be extended to 30 minutes. Please keep in mind that this a new vaccine and a constantly evolving situation.

Some individuals experience light-headedness, flushing, or tingling which are not allergic symptoms and are more consistent with a vasovagal response or anxiety. These reactions aren’t allergies to the vaccine and individuals who experience them should receive the second vaccine dose.

If you experience hives or itching, shortness of breath, runny nose, congestion, tongue or throat discomfort, these symptoms need to be further discussed with an allergist to determine the best next steps. If you experience any of these type of symptoms, we’ll refer you to NorthShore allergists so you can follow up within 7 days so any additional guidance regarding administration of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine can be incorporated into your care.

The Pfizer or Moderna vaccines should NOT be given if you’re known to have anaphylactic reactions to polyethylene glycol—the active ingredient in Miralax or colonoscopy prep. If you’re allergic to any component of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you should NOT receive it. Click here to review a list of vaccine ingredients and get links to additional resources. If you’ve ever had a negative reaction to any vaccine or injectable therapy, extra caution should be taken—including a 30 minute monitoring after vaccination.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not live vaccines and can be administered to these individuals. As with other vaccines, your underlying immune deficient or immune compromised state may prevent you from developing a strong immune response, so remember to mask up, wash up and back up!

There are several online resource sites that may be helpful:

• northshore.org/covid19
• IDPH COVID-19 webpage and Coronavirus.illinois.gov
• CDC Homepage for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Chicago Department of Public Health COVID-19 webpage
• IHA webpage on COVID-19