The COVID-19 vaccines in the United States cannot make you sick with the coronavirus.
That's according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says the vaccines do not contain the live virus that causes the coronavirus, so if a person becomes sick with the virus before or after getting vaccinated, it's because it takes weeks for a person's body to build up immunity after getting vaccinated.
"That means it's possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still gets sick," the agency said. "This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection."
On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines was 95% effective in preventing COVID in adults.
But the FDA says this happens only if the vaccines are taken when following the authorized dosing schedules.
"We have committed time and time again to make decisions based on data and science," the FDA said. "Until vaccine manufacturers have data and science supporting a change, we continue to strongly recommend that health care providers follow the FDA-authorized dosing schedule for each COVID-19 vaccine."
According to the FDA, if receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, you must receive your next dose 21 days after receiving the first dose. If you're receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you must receive your second dose 28 days after receiving the first dose.
