When are we getting to Phase 1B? Which vaccine should I get?
What are your questions and concerns about the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley?
In an ongoing conversation, The Morning Call reporters have tried to answer your questions. Here are some of the latest:
Q. When are will Pennsylvania be in Phase 1B?
A. Pennsylvania is still in the first tier of the state’s vaccine rollout plan, Phase 1A. During this phase, long-term care facility residents and health care personnel are prioritized over other groups.
However, due to limited vaccine quantities, weather delays and other factors, officials from the state Department of Health has suggested Phase 1B may not start until the summer, according to an ABC 27 report.
So far, more than 14% of eligible Lehigh Valley residents — 78,277 people — are fully vaccinated, and another 11%, or 61,879 people, have gotten their first shot.
Q. If you experience side effects from the vaccine, can you spread the disease?
A. The vaccine cannot cause COVID-19 infection, experts say.
Common side effects from the vaccine include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, and fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea, according to the CDC. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Q. How many doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine has Pennsylvania
received?
A. So far, the state has received a single allotment of 95,000 doses, but more are expected by the end of the month.
Q. Which vaccine should I get?
A. There are three vaccines available through the federal government: the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, which require two doses, and the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
All three have been by approved for emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
But experts say the best vaccine for you is probably whichever one you can get, according to a recent Bloomberg report, citing the sustained high demand for the shots.