What steps are taken to make sure the COVID-19 vaccines are safe?
Safety is always a top priority as federal agencies work with vaccine manufacturers to develop and authorize new vaccines. Here are some of the steps:
- Careful testing. All vaccines go through clinical trials to test safety and effectiveness. For the COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA set high safety standards for vaccine developers to meet. This infographic from the National Institutes of Health shows the four phases a vaccine goes through before it is released to the public.
- Authorization for emergency use. If a vaccine or medicine is needed to address an emergency situation such as the coronavirus pandemic, once it is shown to be safe and effective, the FDA can grant it an emergency use authorization, or EUA. An EUA allows a vaccine, treatment or medication to be used before the formal FDA approval.
- Continuous monitoring for problems and side effects. Once a vaccine gets an EUA and is being given to people, the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to watch carefully to make sure no problems arise. Data on the vaccine’s safety record accumulates over time when more and more people who receive it report on their experience and any side effects they experience. One important way to report any adverse events after vaccination is through the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS).
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