Which vaccines are available?
We offer all three COVID vaccines that are authorized in the US:
- Moderna: two shots, four weeks (28 days) apart
- Pfizer-BioNTech: two shots, three weeks (21 days) apart
- Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (J&J): one shot
Getting the COVID vaccine is free, safe, and effective at helping protect against severe illness and death from the coronavirus. It is how you can do your part to protect your family and loved ones while helping to stop the spread.
Getting vaccinated also means you’ll be able to get back to doing more of the things you did before the pandemic. As proof of vaccination becomes required in more places, you may also need it to get into indoor spaces like restaurants, bars, gyms, spas, concert venues, movie theaters, sporting events, and stores. We offer a convenient place to get the COVID vaccine in Los Angeles for FREE, administered by qualified staff in our clean, private facility.
We offer all three COVID vaccines that are authorized in the US:
The CDC recommends anyone 12 and older get a COVID vaccine as soon as possible. Currently, Pfizer is the only vaccine available for those 12 and up. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines are approved for those 18 and older. The CDC recommends COVID vaccination in most cases, including for those who fall into any of the following categories:
Even young and healthy people who get COVID are at risk of health problems such as losing the sense of smell for many months, if not more severe complications.
Older unvaccinated adults are more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID. The risk increases with age. People 85 and older are the most likely to get very sick. Vaccination significantly reduces the risk of hospitalization among those 65 and older.
Having underlying medical conditions at any age increases the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID. The CDC says most people with underlying medical conditions should be vaccinated.
People with weakened immune systems are more likely to get severely ill from COVID. People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may not be fully protected even if they are fully vaccinated. The CDC recommends those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised talk to their doctors about getting a third dose.
The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated even if they have a history of severe allergic reactions unrelated to vaccines or injectable medications — such as food, pet, venom, environmental, or latex allergies. People with a history of allergies to oral medications or a family history of severe allergic reactions may also get vaccinated. However, if you have ever had an allergic reaction to any ingredient in any of the COVID vaccines (see the CDC’s list of ingredients in each vaccine here), you should not get that vaccine. Check with your doctor about whether you can get one of the other vaccines. You should also check with your doctor if you have had an allergic reaction to any kind of vaccine or injectable therapy.
Pregnant people are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID, so getting a vaccine can protect pregnant people from complications that could affect them or their babies. There is no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID vaccines, cause female or male fertility problems.
Even people who have had COVID should get vaccinated because their natural immunity may not last long enough or be strong enough, and they could get infected again.
As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns specific to your health and medical status.
Different types of COVID vaccines work in different ways to offer protection. But they all teach the body to make proteins that look like part of the virus that causes COVID by providing “memory” T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus in the future.
It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to produce these white blood cell warriors of the immune system. That’s why a person could get infected by the virus that causes COVID just before or just after vaccination and then gets sick because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection. Doctors consider you fully vaccinated two weeks after your second shot of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines or two weeks after your single shot of the J&J vaccine.
Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines. They are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases that do not contain any form of the virus that causes COVID. Instead, they teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and the J&J vaccine contains polysorbate. The Moderna vaccine is known as a “viral vector” type vaccine, which contains a modified version of a different virus than the one that causes COVID. Inside the shell of the modified virus, there is material from the virus that causes COVID. See the ingredients included in each of the available COVID vaccines here.
Sometimes after vaccination, the process of building immunity can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and, in most cases, are signs that the body is building immunity. Common side effects include:.
Over-the-counter pain medicine is not recommended before your vaccination, but you can take it for any discomfort you may have from side effects after getting vaccinated. Side effects after your second shot may be more intense than the ones you experienced after your first shot. Contact your doctor or healthcare provider:
The COVID vaccines are not experimental. They were developed using science that has been around for decades. They went through all the required stages of clinical trials, which included people with underlying medical conditions. Extensive testing and monitoring have shown that these vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines cannot give you COVID. After vaccination, you may have side effects, but these are normal and should go away in a few days.
Breakthrough cases are rare, but they do happen. However, if you’re vaccinated, you are less likely to be hospitalized or die if you get COVID.
While the delta variant of COVID causes more infection and spreads faster than previous variations of the coronavirus, the good news is that the available COVID vaccines have continued to prove effective at preventing both hospitalizations and severe cases caused by this variant.
Booster shots have not yet been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration by anyone who isn’t immunocompromised, but they are considering it. The CDC already recommends those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised talk to their doctors about getting a third dose.
Book an appointment using our online booking system below or call our office to schedule an appointment to get the COVID vaccine in Los Angeles.
