Updated July 6, 2022
Why Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine?
It’s a question being asked a lot right now: Why get vaccinated for COVID-19? Many people assume they are not at much risk for severe illness caused by COVID-19, so getting vaccinated isn’t necessary for them. However, it’s important to remember two things when considering risk:
- COVID-19 affects everyone differently—it may affect you to a more serious degree than you think.
- Even if you don’t get too sick or feel unwell at all, you may spread it to someone who could become severely ill or even die.
Vaccination is one of the best tools we have to protect ourselves and our communities from COVID-19.
All COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19.
All COVID-19 vaccines are carefully evaluated in clinical trials—just like all other vaccines—and are authorized or approved only if they make it substantially less likely that you will get COVID-19.
Even if you do get COVID-19, data from clinical trials show that the vaccines will keep you from getting severely ill.
Getting vaccinated may also protect people around you.
Getting vaccinated is a safer way to help build protection.
COVID-19 can cause serious, life-threatening health complications. There is no way to know how it will affect you. Getting vaccinated is a safe, effective way to build up your body’s natural defenses—your immune system—without the risks of actually getting sick with COVID-19.
While getting COVID-19 may provide some protection through natural immunity, the risk of reinfection may increase with time. The risks that come with COVID-19 outweigh the benefits of natural immunity.
None of the vaccines can cause you to get sick with COVID-19. They can only prevent it.
COVID-19 vaccination is a tool to help us end the pandemic.
Masking and staying six feet apart help reduce your risk of exposure to the virus or of spreading it to others. But these measures alone are not enough. Vaccines are an added important tool to help your body protect itself if exposed to COVID-19.
To stop the pandemic, we all must use the tools and measures we have available to us.
Content based on materials produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.