DETROIT – As the first COVID-19 vaccinations are being given to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic, many people are raising questions about the virus and the vaccine.
Vaccine information is developing very quickly and although we have a good understanding of the effectiveness and safety from the trials that were done to secure authorization. However, during the mass vaccination campaign we will undoubtedly learn even more.
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Does a person need to be retested after they’ve had COVID-19 and recovered?
The answer is no.
Once it has been established that a person has been infected, we treat the illness based on your symptoms and clinical condition. From the standpoint of determining when a person is no longer infectious -- that is also determined by the course of your illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had guidance that indicates it’s safe to be around others. It reports that it’s safe to be around others after it’s been 10 days since symptoms first appeared and you’ve gone 24 hours with no fever and other symptoms are improving.
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Is the COVID-19 vaccine a live vaccine?
The currently authorized Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is not a live vaccine.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine are mRNA vaccines. There is not a live component to either of them.
None of the COVID-19 vaccines being developed in the United States are made with either live or inactivated whole COVID-19 virus.
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