Vaccine Education, Information & Other Resources

All Arkansans age 6 months or older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

All previous COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized in the U.S. You can receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine as long as it has been two months since last receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Pat Walker Health Center currently administers the Pfizer updated COVID-19 vaccine, which is a monovalent vaccine named Comirnaty. 

Other pharmacies and clinics may administer the Moderna updated COVID-19 vaccine, but PWHC does not.

What You Need to Know:

See what the CDC recommends.

The COVID-19 vaccine can be given at any interval following receipt of monoclonal antibody therapy.

People who should follow special procedures:

• Someone with a history of severe allergy to anything other than a vaccine or injectable medication can get the vaccine, but they should remain at the vaccination location for medical observation for 30 minutes after receipt of the vaccine.

The CDC has also provided recommendations and guidance for individuals with specific circumstances:

• COVID-19 Recovered Individuals: People who have already been infected with COVID-19 may still benefit from getting a vaccine. It is not yet known how long natural immunity to COVID-19 lasts. It’s also not yet known how long the immunity provided by the vaccine will last.

  • Individuals with Allergies: The CDC says people with allergies to certain foods, insects, latex and other common allergens can have the COVID-19 vaccine. At this time, anyone who has a severe allergy (e.g., anaphylaxis) to any of the vaccine ingredients should not receive this vaccine.

• Pregnant or Breastfeeding: Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding — and part of a group recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine — may choose to be vaccinated. Always talk with your health care provider if you have questions or concerns about getting vaccinated. Although not thought to be a risk to breastfeeding infants, data is not yet available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating women or on the effects of mRNA vaccines on breastfed infants. While breastfeeding is an important consideration, it is rarely a safety concern with vaccines. The CDC and FDA have safety monitoring systems in place to capture information about vaccination during pregnancy and will closely monitor reports.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

• All COVID-19 vaccines were tested in clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people to make sure they meet safety standards and protect adults of different ages, races, and ethnicities. 
• The U.S. vaccine safety system works to make sure that all vaccines are as safe as possible. Vaccines that meet FDA safety and effectiveness standards can be made available in the United States by approval or by emergency use authorization.
• Generally, if there are problems with a vaccine, they most likely emerge early in the testing process when they can be identified and addressed. For the COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA set up rigorous standards for vaccine developers to meet. So far, none of the vaccine trials have reported any serious safety concerns.
• All available vaccines have had fully independent safety monitoring boards, and safety data are continuously reviewed by the FDA and expert panels.
• Additionally, the CDC also has rigorous safety monitoring steps in place for the COVID-19 vaccine.

To learn more visit: http://www.cdc.gov/vsafe.

Absolutely not. None of the COVID-19 vaccines in development in the U.S. use the live virus. Furthermore, the vaccine will not cause you to test positive on a COVID-19 viral test, such as the PCR or antigen tests.

The goal of a vaccine is to teach our immune system how to recognize and fight a specific virus. Sometimes this process can cause mild side effects, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity.

However, it typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it’s possible you could be infected just before or just after getting vaccinated.

Herd immunity is a term used to describe when enough people have protection from a virus or bacteria — either from previous infection or vaccination — that it is unlikely the disease can spread. As a result, herd immunity community is protection even if some people don't have any immunity themselves.

Although this was a widely common talking point throughout the pandemic, the percentage of people who need to have protection in order to achieve herd immunity varies by disease. Experts do not know what percentage of people would need to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 vaccination process will include check-in, vaccine administration and a required 15-30 minute observation time. It is important to plan your time accordingly and prepare for any potential wait.

• The record of you receiving the vaccine will be uploaded to the Arkansas WebIZ database. If you need a printed copy of this, we can print this out for you.

• You will receive a paper or electronic version of a fact sheet that tells you more about the specific COVID-19 vaccine you are getting.

What to bring to your appointment: To receive the vaccine from eligible providers including mass vaccination clinics, you must bring the following:

• Driver’s license or other form of photo identification (that includes birth date)
• University photo identification (if required)
• Health insurance card (if insured)
• Any individualized letter/proof of vaccination approval.

Remember, it takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination. Additionally, we know vaccination can prevent hospitalizations or serious illness.

To avoid any unexpected costs, always check with your insurance provider for an explanation of benefits. Most insurances cover the cost of the vaccine. While the vaccine may be covered by your insurance, most clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies will charge an administration fee. Depending on your insurance coverage, there may be an out-of-pocket cost for the vaccine too.

If you are uninsured, there is a self-pay discount. If you'd like to discuss this with a PWHC staff member, please ask.

Yes. COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines may be administered simultaneously.

No. Those with an active case of COVID need to wait until they are fever-free and symptoms have resolved.

The Pfizer-BioNtech use a technology called messenger RNA (mRNA). COVID-19 mRNA vaccines give instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the “spike protein” — found on the surface of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. After the protein is made, the mRNA is destroyed.

Our bodies’ immune system then recognizes that the protein should not be there and produces antibodies, as well as T-cells and B-cells that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future. This will protect you from infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease COVID-19. 

The reported post-vaccine side effects have been minimal. Like all vaccines, the COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccine by Pfizer can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Most people who received the vaccines and experienced side effects described them as “mild” or “moderate” and usually resolved within a day or two. According to the CDC these symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity.

The most common side effects reported have been:

• pain, redness, warmness, and/or swelling at the injection site
• fatigue
• headache
• muscle pain or joint pain
• chills
• fever