Millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine

Over 126 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through March 22, 2021.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met FDA’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA). Learn more about EUAs in this videoexternal icon.

Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines, and these vaccines will undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.

Results are reassuring

Results from monitoring efforts are reassuring. Some people have no side effects. Others have reported common side effects after COVID-19 vaccination like

• swelling, redness and pain at injection site,
• fever,
• headache,
• tiredness,
• muscle pain,
• chills,
• and nausea.

These reactions are common. A small number of people have had a severe allergic reaction (called “anaphylaxis”) after vaccination, but this is extremely rare. If this occurs, vaccination providers have medicines available to effectively and immediately treat the reaction.

After you get a COVID-19 vaccine, you will be asked to stay for 15–30 minutes so you can be observed in case you have a severe allergic reaction and provided treatment in the rare case it is needed.