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.

Based on Governor Whitmer’s recent announcement about moving to Phase 1B, we are currently vaccinating all Beaumont employees and people age 65 and older. You must have a myBeaumontChart account to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine. As soon as you can schedule your vaccination, we will send you a notification email that allows you to schedule an appointment.

Check your myBeaumontChart account now to be sure you can log in and your email address is accurate. If you do not have an 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 (19-23 days from your first 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.

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.

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 from the Pfizer vaccine begins about one week 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.