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When It’s Your Turn for a Vaccine, Why You Should Use New V-Safe

January 29, 2021

Just had your first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine? How are you feeling?

If you experience significant side effects from either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, medical professionals should know. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is making it easy with v-safe, accessible by smartphone, where you can report any significant side effects and check in with any additional side effects at three, six and 12 weeks after your vaccination.

The v-safe program also alerts you when it’s time for your second vaccination.

To get started, click here.

“The COVID-19 virus will likely become the world’s leading infectious disease killer in 2020, exceeding deaths from tuberculosis, malaria and HIV,” says Dr. Melisha Cumberland, chief of medicine at Windham Hospital. “In order to stop its spread, we need much of the world’s population to be vaccinated. If we do not protect ourselves against the virus, we will continue to see these numbers climb.”

Possible Side Effects

Pfizer: Some people experienced pain at the injection site, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, fever or joint pain. A few people have experienced a serious allergic reaction. The National Institutes of Health is attempting to determine what component of the vaccine causes the reaction. But all these reactions are indicators of the immune system at work, not that the vaccines are unsafe.

Moderna: Similar to the Pfizer vaccine, though no reports of serious allergic reaction.

How to Get a Vaccine

Anyone in the eligible groups can get vaccinated at a Hartford HealthCare vaccine clinic. An appointment is required to ensure safety. No walk-ins are allowed.

People eligible for a vaccine who already have a MyChartPlus account can log in and make an appointment at a Hartford HealthCare vaccine clinic. If you don’t have a MyChartPlus account, set one up on Hartford HealthCare’s MyChartPlus.org website.

If you’d prefer to schedule your appointment by phone, call the Hartford HealthCare Access Center at 860.827.7690 or toll-free at 833.943.5721.