Can You Choose Which Covid-19 Vaccine You Get?
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The bottom line
For now, youâre unlikely to have a choice. Medical experts say itâs important to take whichever vaccine is offered to you, and both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that are currently authorized in the U.S. have been shown to be highly effective at preventing disease. As vaccine supply increases and more options become available in the coming months and years, there may be more scope for doctors to recommend different types of shots for different populations.
The details
Currently, there is a little bit of wiggle room for people who are determined to get one vaccine over another. People who have registered for vaccination can try to call vaccine sites directly to find out whether they have Pfizer or Moderna shots. But many places donât inform people ahead of time about which vaccine they will get during the appointment.
Coronavirus variant spreading in Minnesota Officials fear a second wave of more contagious virus strain could emerge.
By Christopher Snowbeck Text size Copy shortlink:
Worrisome signs are surfacing that a more contagious version of the pandemic virus is spreading in Minnesota, even as the state continues to see fewer COVID-19 deaths and cases.
The Minnesota Department of Health announced last week that the number of B.1.1.7 variant cases confirmed across the state more than doubled in one week from 18 to 40. The state public health lab, meanwhile, is performing genetic sequencing on a growing number of samples used in tests where the results suggest the variant might have caused infections.
“The (homeless) shelters were initially not going to be included in the phase 1b rollout … but then they included us,” said Teresa Reinders, the director of Racine County s Continuum
UW-Madison COVID-19 stories and experts:Â Thursday Mourning, spread data, new vaccines For news media
More information
MADISON – The following UWâMadison stories and experts are available on current topics surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. See more stories here.
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âThursday Mourningâ remembrance ritual honors COVID-19 victims
âI wanted to feel a connection to those who had died, to acknowledge their lives.â
Thatâs Omar Poler, describing the intent of his Thursday Mourning remembrance ritual. Poler is indigenous education coordinator for the Office of the Provost and the School of Education at UWâMadison. Every Thursday morning 10, he stops whatever heâs doing and spends 10 minutes remembering â and honoring â the lives lost to COVID-19. The practice has spread to other parts of campus and beyond. Read the full story
The Wisconsin advisory panel that decides who s next in line for the vaccine will pause to wait for Biden s strategy Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MADISON - The state advisory panel recommending when Wisconsin residents should get the COVID-19 vaccine is pausing work while the Evers administration gathers more information on how President Joe Biden s vaccine strategy will affect the state.
The hiatus, which could last weeks, also comes while the distribution of vaccine doses is ramping up; it will likely take months to provide shots to everyone already eligible.
The committee does not coordinate the physical distribution of the vaccine, and state officials have the final say on guidance given to local vaccinators. The panel of public health experts collects public input on who should be prioritized in the rollout, and gives recommendations to the Department of Health Services on how to manage each phase of the distribution, among other duties.