When you walk into an American House, you are entering our residents’ home, where they live, where they feel safe. Your intention may be to help our residents or visit with your loved one, but if you’re not vaccinated, you may unintentionally bring with you the coronavirus that could harm those you serve or love. Our residents received the COVID-19 vaccine to get to at least a 70% vaccination rate so they could walk around freely. Join us in rolling up your sleeves, and help our residents feel safe.

Get the Facts

We’ve researched some valuable facts, and if you have any questions about COVID-19 vaccines, please talk to a reliable source, such as your doctor. Don’t be a victim of vaccine misinformation. Arm yourself with the facts. 

Did you know…

• 97% of people in the hospital with COVID-19 are not vaccinated.
• 99% of COVID-19 deaths are people who are unvaccinated.
• Positive cases are rising, from 2% in June 2021 to over 6% in July 2021.
• Vaccines offer over 80% effectiveness against infection, 90% against severe disease.
• About 99.999% of fully vaccinated Americans have not had a deadly COVID-19 breakthrough case.
• Vaccines went through all required stages of clinical trials.

How COVID-19 Vaccines Work

COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness.

When vaccinated, the body is left with a supply of “memory” T-lymphocytes as well as B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus in the future. It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to produce lymphocytes.

• It is possible that a person could be infected with the virus just before or just after vaccination and then get sick because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection.
• Sometimes after vaccination, the process of building immunity can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are signs that the body is building immunity.
• Vaccines do not provide 100% protection, so “breakthrough infections,” in which people get the virus despite having been fully vaccinated, will occur.
• Most of the breakthrough cases – about 74% – occurred among adults 65 or older.
• If vaccinated people do get sick, they are likely to have milder symptoms.

The Moderna Vaccine (aka mRNA-1273) 

Most American House communities have licensed nurses on staff to administer the Moderna vaccine.

• The FDA authorized the emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)
• For a complete dosage, you will receive two shots, 28 days apart.
• You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second shot.
• The Moderna vaccine has been shown, in controlled clinical trials, to have an efficacy of approximately 94.1% in protecting against COVID-19
• Side effects can include chills, headache, pain, tiredness, and/or redness and swelling at the injection site, all of which generally resolve within a day or two.

NOTE: COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable. If you received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you should get the same product for your second shot.

Pfizer-BioNTech (COMIRNATY) Vaccine

FDA has granted full approval for Pfizer-BioNTech (COMIRNATY) COVID-19 Vaccine. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting on Monday, August 30, 2021, to discuss its updated recommendation for this vaccine. 

• Based on evidence from clinical trials in people 16 years and older, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 95% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 in people who received two doses and had no evidence of being previously infected.
• The vaccine was also highly effective in clinical trials at preventing COVID-19 among people of diverse age, sex, race, and ethnicity categories and among people with underlying medical conditions.
• Evidence shows mRNA COVID-19 vaccines offer similar protection in real-world conditions as they have in clinical trial settings―reducing the risk of COVID-19, including severe illness by 90% or more, among people who are fully vaccinated.
• Possible side effects include, chills, headache, pain, tiredness, and/or redness and swelling at the injection site, all of which generally resolve within a day or two.
• For a complete dosage, you will receive two shots, 28 days apart.

NOTE: COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable. If you received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you should get the same product for your second shot.

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine 

• The J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine was 66.3% effective in clinical trials (efficacy) at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection in people who received the vaccine and had no evidence of being previously infected. People had the most protection 2 weeks after getting vaccinated.
• In the clinical trials, the vaccine had high efficacy at preventing hospitalization and death in people who did get sick. No one who got COVID-19 at least 4 weeks after receiving the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine had to be hospitalized.
• Women younger than 50 years old should especially be aware of the rare risk of blood clots with low platelets after vaccination. There are other COVID-19 vaccines available for which this risk has not been seen.
• Possible side effects include, chills, headache, pain, tiredness, and/or redness and swelling at the injection site, all of which generally resolve within a day or two.
• For a complete dosage, you will receive one shot.

Benefits of Getting Vaxed

• Protect our residents in their home.
• Prevent severe illness and death and avoid long-term side effects of COVID-19.
• People who have had COVID-19 previously, getting fully vaccinated provides additional protection against reinfection.
• A publication from MMWR shows vaccines prevented COVID-19 related hospitalizations among the highest risk age groups.

If you or a loved one are a resident of American House, we offer vaccinations on-site for individuals who qualify. Find a community near you.

Just remember, what are you bringing home to American House?