
Overview
COVID-19 vaccines protect people from getting COVID-19. They are a vital tool to help stop the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine works with your body’s immune system against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. While COVID-19 vaccines will not make you sick, they may cause certain side effects and flu-like symptoms. This is to be expected. These symptoms may be a sign that your body is making antibodies against the virus. Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
Review Date 2/22/2023
Updated by: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.