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COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccine

Overview

COVID-19 vaccines protect people from getting COVID-19. 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. COVID-19 vaccines not only protect against infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they can help protect against serious illness from COVID-19.

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.