COVID-19 Vaccines Advice

COVID-19 advice for the public: Getting vaccinated

English version last updated on 13 April 2022.

Safe and effective vaccines are available that provide strong protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.  Billions of people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Getting vaccinated is one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself against COVID-19, help end the pandemic and stop new variants emerging.

Take all COVID-19 vaccine doses recommended to you by your health authority as soon as it is your turn, including a booster dose if recommended.

It is still possible to get COVID-19 and spread it to others after being vaccinated, so continue to do everything you can to keep yourself and others healthy. Continue keeping a safe distance from others and avoiding crowds, wearing a well-fitting mask covering your mouth and nose, keeping indoor spaces well ventilated, cleaning hands regularly and covering coughs and sneezes. If you do get COVID-19 after vaccination, you are more likely to have mild or no symptoms than if you hadn’t been vaccinated.

As of 8 April 2022, WHO has evaluated that the following vaccines against COVID-19 have met the necessary criteria for safety and efficacy:

Read our Q&A on the Emergency Use Listing process to find out more about how WHO assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Some national regulators have also assessed other COVID-19 vaccine products for use in their countries.

Take whatever vaccine is made available to you first, even if you have already had COVID-19. It is important to be vaccinated as soon as possible once it’s your turn and not wait. It is safe and effective to mix-and-match different COVID-19 vaccines.

The current COVID-19 vaccines provide strong protection against serious illness and death caused by the Omicron and Delta variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Being fully vaccinated will also help reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging.

For more information on booster doses and mixing-and-matching vaccines please read our COVID-19 Vaccines Q&A and COVID-19 Vaccines Safety Q&A.

WHO SHOULD GET VACCINATED

COVID-19 vaccines with WHO EUL are safe for most people 18 years and older, including those with pre-existing conditions, including auto-immune disorders. These conditions include: hypertension, diabetes, asthma, pulmonary, liver and kidney disease, as well as chronic infections that are stable and controlled.

If you are pregnant, want to get pregnant in the future or are currently breastfeeding, getting vaccinated is important to protect you and your current or future family. Many people around the world have now been vaccinated against COVID-19 while pregnant or breastfeeding, and no safety concerns have been identified for them or their babies. In fact, getting vaccinated while pregnant helps to protect your baby; this may also be the case if you get vaccinated while breastfeeding. You should still get vaccinated if you are menstruating on the day of your appointment.

If you are immunocompromised, you should be prioritised for an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine after 1 to 3 months. People with compromised immune systems don’t always develop sufficient immunity against COVID-19 after one or two doses, so an additional dose can help to protect them. You should also get a booster dose if recommended.

There is growing evidence that children can be safely vaccinated against COVID-19. Check the COVID-19 vaccines Q&A page or the information pages on each vaccine for advice on what age-specific guidance is in place for that vaccine.

If you are aged 60 and over and are vaccinated with Sinovac or Sinopharm, you should be offered a third dose after 3 - 6 months. People over 60 have been found to develop less protection after two doses of these vaccines than younger people. Getting a third dose can help provide higher immunity. You should also get a booster dose when it is your turn.

WHO SHOULD NOT GET VACCINATED

It is safe for most people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, you should not be vaccinated if:

You have a history of severe allergic reactions/anaphylaxis to any of the ingredients of the COVID-19 vaccine, in order to avoid possible adverse effects.
You have a fever over 38.5ºC on the day of your vaccine appointment. Postpone until you have recovered.
You currently have confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Wait until you have completed the mandated isolation period and your acute symptoms have passed to get vaccinated.

If you are on blood thinners, it is safe for you to get vaccinated but let the person vaccinating you know.

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER GETTING VACCINATED

Some people will experience mild side effects after being vaccinated against COVID-19. Common side effects to COVID-19 vaccines include a fever, head or body aches and a sore arm. These symptoms usually go away within a day or two. You can manage any side effects with rest, plenty of non-alcoholic liquids and taking medication to manage pain and fever, if needed. We do not recommend taking medication for pain before being vaccinated, as we don’t know how this will affect how well the vaccine works.

Contact your health care provider if you are worried about any of the side effects that you are experiencing. More serious or long-lasting side effects to COVID-19 vaccines are extremely rare. If you experience difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, loss of speech or mobility after your vaccine, contact your healthcare provider immediately. Vaccines are continually monitored to detect and respond to rare adverse events.

It takes several weeks after each dose of COVID-19 vaccine for your body to develop maximum levels of immunity – you are not protected right away. We still don’t know exactly how long protection from COVID-19 vaccines lasts, but most people have strong protection against serious illness and death for at least 6 months.

As WHO understands more about COVID-19 vaccines, we will be updating our recommendations accordingly and keeping the information on this page updated.

Have more questions about getting vaccinated against COVID-19? Check out the answers to the most frequently asked questions in the Q&As below.