Currently, there are three vaccines authorized for use and available in Southern Nevada. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are a two-dose series. If you receive either of these vaccines, you will need to receive the second dose three to four weeks after your first dose, depending on the vaccine product you received. If you receive the Janssen vaccine you will only need one dose of the vaccine. All three vaccines are safe and highly effective.

Booster shots are recommended six months after initial vaccination.

Yes, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19. Among people who have recovered from COVID-19, those who remain unvaccinated are more than twice as likely to get reinfected as vaccinated people. Vaccinations offer a more predictable protection, and they will likely last longer.

If you have already had COVID-19, you will likely have some level of natural immunity, but this can vary greatly from person to person. We also don't know how long that natural protection lasts and whether it will protect from other variants. That means that you could eventually be reinfected with the virus or with a different variant.

Getting vaccinated after infection is safe and will offer you the best overall protection against future COVID-19 infections. In fact, a growing body of evidence suggests that prior infection plus vaccination – something called "hybrid immunity" – offers the greatest possible protection.

You should get vaccinated after your isolation period is complete and you are no longer experiencing severe symptoms. You do not need to be re-tested for COVID-19 before seeking vaccination.

If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Why do I need to get vaccinated if we can do other things like social distancing and wearing masks to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading? 

Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools available. Vaccines work with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. Other steps, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask and staying at least 3 feet away from others (the CDC recommends 6 feet), help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.

It’s not safe to share your vaccination card on social media because you could be inviting identity theft. Your vaccination card has information on it including your full name, date of birth, where and when you got your vaccine. When you post it to a social media platform, you may be handing valuable information over to someone who could use it for identity theft. 

If you’re excited to share the news that you’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine, share a picture of your vaccine sticker instead.

No. None of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19, so you cannot get the virus or the disease it causes from the vaccine. Having symptoms like fever after you get a vaccine is normal and a sign your immune system is learning to fight the virus. 

Visit the CDC Coronavirus page to learn more about the facts behind COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccine ingredients vary by manufacturer. None of the vaccines contain eggs, gelatin, latex, or preservatives. All COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth alloys. They are also free from manufactured products such as microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes, or nanowire semiconductors.

To learn more about the ingredients in authorized COVID-19 vaccines, see

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety
• Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety
• Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety
• Ingredients Included in COVID-19 Vaccines

Yes, COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future. You might want to have a conversation with your healthcare provider about COVID-19 vaccination. While such a conversation might be helpful, it is not required before vaccination. Learn more about vaccination considerations for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

If you are pregnant and have received a COVID-19 vaccine, we encourage you to enroll in v-safe, CDC’s smartphone-based tool that provides personalized health check-ins after vaccination. A v-safe pregnancy registry has been established to gather information on the health of pregnant people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

Related pages:

• COVID-19 Vaccines for Pregnant or Breastfeeding People
• Monitoring Systems for Pregnant People
• V-safe Pregnancy Registry
• Planning for Pregnancy