COVID-19 Vaccine Updates

There are some viruses and bacteria that we vaccinate against that one dose of the vaccine just doesn't provide full immunity in order to prevent illness if you were to be exposed to it, whereas priming the system allows your immune system to react to it once, create some memory and, when exposed to it a second time, it really develops that full, long term memory.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are preservative free and do not contain Thimerosol.

• Both vaccines are about 95% effective. Pfizer and Moderna had a fair and comparable spread of races and ethnicities included in the clinical trials. There does not appear to be any significant differences in vaccine effectiveness between the two brands.
• For the Pfizer vaccine, the first and second dose should be approximately 21 days apart and is recommended for ages 16 and up.
• For the Moderna vaccine, the first and second dose should be approximately 28 days apart and is recommended for ages 18 and up.
• Both vaccines have the same side effects listed with the CDC. The most common side effects include tiredness, headache and chills.
• Pfizer’s vaccine must be kept at much lower temperatures than the Moderna vaccine.

Vaccine supply is currently limited. Therefore, Beaumont is using an equitable, randomized process to select groups of patients who meet the 1B criteria and also have an active myBeaumontChart account. As groups of individuals are selected using this process, they will receive an email inviting them to schedule their vaccination. Beaumont’s goal is to vaccinate its entire patient population as quickly as possible.

If you do not have a myBeaumontChart account, set one up today.

There are no walk-in appointments for vaccinations. You must have a myBeaumontChart account to schedule an appointment.

Beaumont is closely working with supply chain and state/county officials to maximize the number of doses of vaccines. We do not have a definitive number of doses at this time. We are planning to allow Beaumont to administer as many doses of vaccine as it becomes available to us.

At this time, the guidelines recommend that individuals who have had COVID-19 in the last 90 days still get the vaccine but are a lower priority than others who haven’t had COVID-19. So yes, those who have had a positive COVID-19 test are still eligible, albeit in a lower prioritization if within the last 90 days.

There are very few individuals who cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine. If in doubt, rather than withholding vaccination, seek advice from your primary care physician, relevant specialist or immunization team right away. Beaumont will follow guidance issued by the CDC and FDA to identify individuals who should not receive the vaccine.

Minor illnesses without fever or systemic upset are not valid reasons to postpone immunization. People currently sick and experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not receive the vaccination until they recover.

Both vaccines appear to be equally effective at this time based on the studies which looked at between 30 and 40 thousand patients for each vaccine. They did look at the subgroups based on race and ethnicity and (recognizing that there were fewer people in these subgroups) both vaccines appeared to be equally good across all racial and ethnic groups.

The differences currently seen between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on very small numbers of people and as such cannot be said to be meaningful at this time. As noted, the suggestion at this time based on all available current data is to get whichever of the two vaccines is available to you first.

There is no restriction of waiting due to other vaccines. You can schedule your COVID vaccine as early as tomorrow and we encourage you to schedule your COVID vaccine.

There is insufficient data to support a need to delay surgery after immunization; however, given the potential side effects from the vaccine, waiting a few days is reasonable. Since it takes approximately two weeks after the second dose to allow immunity to fully develop against COVID-19, waiting that period of time for elective surgeries is also reasonable. Urgent or emergent surgeries should not be delayed because of the vaccine.

There is a card that will be given to people who receive the vaccine and they need to bring that with them to the second visit as well. It includes which vaccine they were administered, along with the date and lot number.

You will be scheduled for an appointment for your second vaccine dose during your first vaccine visit. If you need to reschedule your appointment, login to your myBeaumontChart > click on Appointments > Click on the dose appointment and select Reschedule Appointment.

Depending on the type of vaccine you get, three to four weeks is the typical amount of time between the two doses. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the vaccine remains effective when patients receive the second dose up to 6 weeks after the first dose.

We recently moved to a more secure COVID-19 vaccination scheduling process. Please follow these step-by-step instructions to schedule your appointment.

The location and type of vaccine at each clinic will be evaluated weekly based on our goal of safely vaccinating as many people as fast as possible. Because of the 28-day second dose for Moderna and 21-day second dose for Pfizer, we are separating the different types of vaccine by location to enhance our abilities to administer, follow up and monitor patients.

Not at this time. Right now, the Pfizer vaccine is currently only offered at the Beaumont Service Center.

The number and type of vaccine Beaumont receives vary week to week, depending on what the State of Michigan sends us. Therefore, you are not able to select the type of vaccine you receive when scheduling.

No. Once you receive the first dose of a vaccine, you will be scheduled to receive the same type of vaccine for your second dose. Although both vaccines are equally effective in preventing COVID-19, the timing between the first and second doses are different, and they have different ingredients.

Based on the study data, some individuals may have somewhat increased symptoms with the second dose compared with the first. These symptoms should still be manageable with simple over-the-counter interventions such as ibuprofen.

We are fortunate that recent advances over the past few years allowed this technology to be immediately utilized to rapidly develop COVID-19 vaccines with very promising efficacy results without compromising safety. For example, the lipid nanoparticle (LNP) carrier, essential for efficient delivery of the mRNA, were FDA approved only a couple years ago. Additional vaccines for rabies, Zika and influenza remain under development and it is likely we will see other mRNA vaccines approved in the near future.

CDC is recommending even those who have had COVID-19 and have antibodies receive the vaccine, so this is not a problem. However, we ask you wait 90 days after the first onset of symptoms to schedule your first vaccination.

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine strongly recommends vaccination and inclusion in vaccine trials, and as the leading professional society focused on pregnancy, this is a course we strongly support.

Despite the stated commitment of the Department of Health and Human Services, NIH and CDC to prioritize the inclusion of pregnant and lactating women in in SARS-CoV-2 vaccination trials, review of the clinical trials registry indicate pregnant women are being systematically excluded from vaccine Phase III trials. Vaccine research data is currently, therefore, absent for pregnancy and lactation.

Make sure to discuss this with your OB-GYN if you have pregnancy or reproductive concerns. And remember, you are at risk for contracting COVID-19, just like everyone else, so please adhere to the measures that are known to work such as social distancing, wearing a mask and frequent hand washing.

Despite the absence of research data, vaccination is strongly recommended in pregnancy. This is because pregnant women in general appear to be at higher risk of complications if they contract COVID-19 than the general population.

The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination appear to greatly exceed the theoretical risks, so our professional societies are recommending vaccination. Women of childbearing age are over-represented, compared to other fields, in the health care industry. A high percentage of pregnancies are unplanned, so getting the vaccination will reduce your risk of getting COVID-19 and suffering severe complications if you do become pregnant.

Regarding vaccine safety, the Pfizer/BioNTECH and Moderna vaccines use mRNA, which makes a protein fragment that induces immunity in the vaccinated individual. So, the risk to the fetus and pregnancy is thought to be low, compared to using an intact, replicating virus for the vaccination.

There is no evidence regarding the effect of vaccine on reproductive health. Other vaccinations against respiratory viral infections, such as influenza, do not suggest a negative effect on reproductive health from vaccination.

There was an initial concern that getting COVID-19 increases the risk of miscarriage, however, subsequent evidence does not appear to support this.

Beaumont Health has established a vaccine review subcommittee comprised of experts in Infection Prevention, Research, Nursing and Pharmacy that will review all available data and make a recommendation to the Vaccine Steering Committee about proceeding to offer vaccine to employees, physicians and the community. Beaumont is committed to ensuring any vaccine provided to a Beaumont employee is deemed safe by our expert panel.

Thanks to new information, Beaumont re-vamped the process for determining who can safely be vaccinated at one of our vaccine clinics, and who should receive the vaccine at an alternate site.

• If you have ever had a severe reaction to the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, or any of their components, you cannot receive the vaccine.
• If you have had an anaphylactic reaction to any vaccine or injectable, you cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Beaumont at this time without an approval/evaluation from an allergist. However, you can be evaluated by an allergist or immunologist to see if you can safely receive the vaccine at an alternate clinic. The vaccine appointment may be scheduled after your allergist approves if you meet the state’s distribution criteria. Please bring your allergist’s written approval to the vaccine appointment.
• If you have had any other kind of anaphylactic reaction, such as to food or the environment, you can receive the vaccine at one of our vaccine clinics if you meet the state’s distribution criteria. However, you will be asked to remain in observation for 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes.

Severe allergic reactions from either vaccine are very low risk and there shouldn't need to be a preference for one over the other due to allergies. According to the CDC, most of all severe allergic reactions occur within 15 minutes of vaccination, which is when patients are in the observation area of the vaccine clinics. Allergic reactions to food or environmental causes are not a factor in getting vaccinated for COVID-19.

We don’t yet know how long the protection from the vaccine will last. Once more data is available, we will be able to determine how frequently we will need booster vaccine doses.

Protection begins building soon after the first dose, and studies suggest maximum protection begins about 7 to 14 days after the second dose.

It’s important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to us to help stop this pandemic, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask, washing hands often, and staying at least 6 feet away from others. Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide before deciding to change those recommendations.