The Federal Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for people 5 years of age and older. Only the Pfizer vaccine is available for teenagers as young as 5 years of age. Pfizer’s initial trials showed that it was safe and effective. More studies are being carried out on children as young as 5 years of age by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson

The City of El Paso has received the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccines and booster shots.

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a single-dose vaccine and the booster is provided two months after the initial shot. The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines require two doses to provide full effectiveness and the booster is provided five months after the second dose. The first dose will help your body process, recognize, and then remember the virus, in other words, the body starts the training required to produce antibodies (defense) which are needed to fight the virus if you are exposed. The second dose will help strengthen your immune response and develop more antibodies to fight the virus. The first dose gives partial protection against the virus while the second dose gives additional protection and helps the body be ready and avoid infection.

Booster shots are administered to remind the body’s immune system about the virus it needs to defend against. This improves or gives the immune system a boost.

No. For those that have received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, there is no reason to be alarmed.

However, people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their healthcare provider. Health care providers are asked to report adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System at https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html.

The City of El Paso will provide updates as they become available.

None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently approved or in use in the United States, contain the live virus that causes COVID-19, that makes the vaccine safe to be given to people with underlying medical conditions.

Currently the City of El Paso is providing vaccines to all members of the public 5 and older.

When registering you should receive a confirmation email. Please be sure to check your Spam and/or Junk folders. If you have received emails from the City providing vaccine updates that means you are registered, if you have not received any emails please call (915) 212-6843.

YES. You still can be infected by someone who has COVID-19, your body needs time to produce antibodies and you are not fully protected against COVID-19 after only 1 dose of the vaccine. Therefore, we still recommend everyone to continue be vigilant and careful, wearing their mask, observing social distancing, and practicing good hygiene.

Yes. If you feel sick, develop cough, lose sense of smell or taste, fever, sore throat, nasal congestion. These symptoms are not caused by the vaccine and you need to get tested. Reactions to the vaccine typically happen after 1-2 days after receiving the vaccine. If more days have passed, it is likely NOT the effects of the vaccine and you might be getting sick.

NO. If you test positive that means that you are infected with the COVID-19 virus and need to isolate. The vaccine does not make the test positive since the vaccine does not contain the live virus.

If you received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, you do NOT need a second dose, as the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a single-dose vaccine.

If you received the Pfizer vaccine, the second dose can be taken 21 days after receiving your first shot.

If you received the Moderna vaccine, your second dose is due between 28 and 42 days after receiving your first shot.

You should receive the same brand vaccine for your second dose. This vaccine is not interchangeable, and it is recommended to receive both doses from the same manufacturer.

Additionally, it is recommended to get the second dose from the same provider that provided the 1st dose. The provider will identify the location where to obtain the 2nd dose. If your first provider was the City, we will advise you of your second dose appointment via email, text or phone.

The City of El Paso is one of several local healthcare providers registered and able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Below please find a list of vaccine sites offered by the City and several community partners.

The City of El Paso does not require you to schedule an appointment to get your vaccine at any of the City's vaccination sites. A list of the City's vaccination sites and Vaccine Pop-up Events are found below.

The City of El Paso does not require you to schedule an appointment to get your vaccine when visiting the El Paso Convention Center,1 Civic Center Plaza.

The City of El Paso is also collaborating with University Medical Center (UMC) to vaccine the community. Individuals who have registered with the City might also be contacted by UMC staff who will ask additional questions to complete the registration process with the County of El Paso.

Also call your primary care provider and ask if they registered to receive and administer the vaccine.

Typical side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine may include swelling or pain at the site of injection, tiredness, fever or headache, as well as muscular or joint pain. These signs and symptoms are mild to moderate particular after the first dose. The incidence of fever has so far been found to be higher after receiving the second dose. People that have been previously infected may experience more intense signs and symptoms but that is expected and not a reason to be alarmed. It is not considered an allergic reaction and those signs and symptom will resolve within 2-3 days.

Severe allergic reactions are rare but can happen. According to the World Health Organization, serious side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine rarely occur but may happen if you have had a severe allergic reaction to any other vaccine, to the first COVID-19 vaccine or to any components of the vaccine, for that reason talk to your primary care provider because that might be a contraindication to receive the vaccine.

Yes, it is safe you can receive your COVID vaccine, please consult with your primary care provider if you have history of severe allergies that required hospitalization. We require people to wait for at least 15 minutes after the administration of the vaccine to watch for any immediate reactions, but if you report allergies, we will ask you to wait for at least 30 minutes.

Yes. The technology used on this vaccine has been in the make for many years now and has been tried in thousands of individuals before approval and authorization was requested. The FDA is required to make decisions that are guided by science and data regarding authorization or approval of COVID-19 vaccines and any other vaccine, biological or medication. Up to now, after the vaccine was given authorization, thousands of doses have been administered and so far, there has not been any indication of any other side effects attributed to the vaccine and continues to be considered safe. We are encouraging everyone who receive the vaccine to register with CDC at V-safe to report how they feel after the vaccine and to monitor for any side effects. That will give valuable information to the CDC and the manufacturers in regards to the side effects people experience after vaccination.

Yes. The vaccine is given to people free of charge since the vaccine was purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars. However, some private vaccination providers are allowed to charge administration or other administrative fees for giving the shot. Vaccination providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient's public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Provider Relief Fund.

Yes. You may receive the vaccine particularly if you belong to any of the initial priority groups; however, it is recommended that you receive the vaccine 90 days after you were infected, giving the opportunity to receive the vaccine to those at-risk that have not been infected allowing them protection conferred by the vaccine.

Yes. It is safe to continue taking your regular medications before and after the COVID vaccine, there will be no reactions or interactions between the vaccine and your medications. Please do not stop you regular medications.

Yes, it is safe to receive your COVID vaccine and you will not cause any harm to any love one with very low immune system. Since it is not a live virus vaccine you will not infect others. It is recommended that you receive the vaccine to decrease the possibility of infecting your loved one with COVID-19.

If your company/office wishes to administer vaccines and have (or contract) a medical director, you may enroll as a COVID-19 vaccine provider with the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). DSHS will approve your application and ship vaccines as they are allocated. If you wish to volunteer in the City vaccine administration efforts, please call (915) 212-6843. You may also register through the Medical Reserve Corps website at https://westtexasmrc.org/about-us/ for other response volunteer opportunities.