COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Adults

Broadlawns Pharmacy is offering Comirnaty Pfizer and Spikevax Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines for eligible patients 18 years or older. All COVID-19 booster vaccines are available on a walk-in basis. Broadlawns Pharmacy is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm, and Saturday, 8am to 4pm. To speak to a pharmacy staff member, call (515) 282-2378. 

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet   Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet

Pediatric (6 months - 11 years old) Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines are available in Broadlawns Clinics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are COVID-19 vaccines safe even though the vaccines were developed rapidly?

While COVID-19 vaccines were developed rapidly, all steps were taken to make sure they are safe and effective:

  • Approach to Development – Scientists have been working for many years to develop vaccines against viruses like the one that causes COVID-19. This knowledge helped speed up the initial development of the current COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Clinical Trials – All vaccines in the United States must go through three phases of clinical trials to make sure they are safe and effective. During the development of COVID-19 vaccines, phases overlapped to speed up the process, but all phases were completed.
  • Authorization or Approval – Before vaccines are available to people, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assesses the findings from clinical trials. The FDA determined that three COVID-19 vaccines met FDA’s safety and effectiveness standards and granted those vaccines Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs). This allowed the vaccines to be quickly distributed to control the pandemic. Before recommending COVID-19 vaccination for children, scientists conducted clinical trials. Currently, there are 2 FDA approved vaccines for active immunization to prevent COVID-19: Comirnaty (12+, Pfizer) and SpikeVax (12+, Moderna). The Novavax vaccine for all ages, and all COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6 month - 11 years, are available under Emergency Use Authorization.  
  • Manufacturing and Distribution – The U.S. government has invested substantial resources to manufacture and distribute COVID-19 vaccines. This allowed vaccine distribution to begin as soon as the FDA authorized each vaccine.
  • Tracking Safety Using Vaccine Monitoring Systems – COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring has been the most intense and comprehensive in U.S. history. Hundreds of millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines. Through several monitoring systems and post - marketing studies, CDC and FDA continue to provide updated information on the safety of these vaccines.

What are the ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines?

Vaccine ingredients vary by manufacturer. None of the vaccines contain eggs, gelatin, latex, or preservatives. All COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth alloys. They are also free from manufactured products such as microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes, or nanowire semiconductors.

If I am pregnant or planning to become pregnant, can I get a COVID-19 vaccine?

Yes, COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or who might become pregnant in the future.

Do I need a booster? How many doses of COVID-19 vaccine will I need to get?

COVID-19 Vaccine Schedules 

The number of vaccine doses you need depends on which vaccine you receive and how old you are. It is also important to receive a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. You are currently up to date if you have received: 

  • 1 dose of 2024 - 2025 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine;or
  • 1 dose of 2024 - 2025 Moderna vaccine
  • 1 dose of 2024 - 2025 Novavax vaccine (if you are a COVID-19 vaccine for the first time, you should receive 2 doses of the 2024 - 2025 Novavax vaccine). 

65 years of age and older:

  • 2 doses of any 2024 - 2025 vaccine at 2-6 months apart (preferred is 6 months apart)
  • Only one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) vaccine should be given.

If you receive a vaccine that requires two doses, you should get your second shot as close to the recommended interval as possible. You should not get the second dose earlier than the recommended interval. 

Additional Primary Dose If You Are Immunocompromised

If you are immunocompromised, it is likely that you will need an additional COVID-19 vaccine to be appropriately projected. Please speak with your healthcare provider of pharmacist about your health conditions to determine if you should receive an additional 2024 - 2025 vaccine. 

Booster Shot

Most healthy people will not need a booster shot. These are typically given to adults 65 years of age and older, and people with immunocompromising conditions. Please speak with your healthcare provider of pharmacist about your health conditions to determine if you should receive an additional 2024 - 2025 vaccine. 

How long does protection from a COVID-19 vaccine last?

We don’t know yet how long COVID-19 vaccine protection lasts. Recent studies show that protection against the virus may decrease over time. This reduction in protection has led CDC to recommend that everyone ages 18 years and older get a booster shot after completing their primary vaccination series.

People who received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for their primary series should get a booster shot at least 6 months after completing the primary series. People who received Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine should get a booster shot at least 2 months after getting their first shot.

At this time, the CDC recommends getting only one COVID-19 booster shot.

How long do I need to wait after getting a flu vaccine or another vaccine before getting a COVID-19 vaccine?

You can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same visit. Experience with other vaccines has shown that the way our bodies develop protection, known as an immune response, and possible side effects after getting vaccinated are generally the same when given alone or with other vaccines.

If I already had COVID-19 and recovered, am I protected by natural immunity, or do I still need to get a COVID-19 vaccine?

Yes, you should get a COVID-19 vaccine even if you already had COVID-19.

Getting sick with COVID-19 offers some protection from future illness with COVID-19, sometimes called “natural immunity.” The level of protection may vary depending on how mild or severe their illness was, the time since their infection, and their age. However, vaccination remains the best protection against the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death, even if you were previously infected. 

Emerging evidence shows that getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection to your immune system. One study showed that, for people who already had COVID-19, those who do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more than 2 times as likely to get COVID-19 again than those who get fully vaccinated after their recovery.

People who were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma or people who have a history of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults or children (MIS-A or MIS-C) may need to wait a while after recovering before they can get vaccinated. Talk with your healthcare provider about the appropriate amount of time to wait before getting vaccinated. 

Can I get vaccinated against COVID-19 while I am currently sick with COVID-19?

No. People with COVID-19 should wait to be vaccinated until they have recovered from their illness. This guidance also applies to people who get COVID-19 before getting their second dose of vaccine. You can go back to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, your symptoms are getting better overall and you have not had a fever and have not used fever-reducing medications. 

Do I need to wear a mask and avoid close contact with others if I am fully vaccinated?

After you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, take these steps to protect yourself and others:

  • In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings.
  • If you are in an area with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and when you are in close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.
  • If you have a condition or taking medications that weaken your immune system, you are at higher risk for contracting COVID-19, even if you are fully vaccinated. You should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, including wearing a well-fitted mask, until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.
  • If you are fully vaccinated, consider wearing a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Resources