Frequently Asked Questions about the COVID-19 Vaccine

Immediate appointments are available at several locations for the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Novavax vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine is free and open to new and current patients who are 6 months and older.

3 Ways to Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment!

1. Log in to your MyKelsey app or MyKelseyOnline account, search and schedule a date and time convenient for you.
2. Directly Schedule Online – open to new and current patients. No account registration required. Use the scheduling feature above to search available dates/times and locations to book your appointment.
3. Call 713-442-5703 to speak with a member of our Contact Center and schedule.

Parent/Guardian Consent Form: If your child is 6 months – 17 years old and will be receiving the vaccine without a parent or guardian present, please fill out and sign the Consent to Administer COVID-19 Vaccine Without Parent or Guardian Present (PDF) form prior to your child’s appointment. They will need to bring the signed and completed form to their appointment to receive the vaccine.

The COVID-19 Vaccine is approved for anyone 6 months and older.

You should anticipate the appointment will take at least 30 minutes. This includes a 15-minute observation period after receiving the vaccine. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine will require two doses. Patients will receive a second dose either 21 (Pfizer) or 28 (Moderna) days after their first inoculation of the vaccine.

There is no cost to the public to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

If you receive the vaccine at Kelsey-Seybold, it will be recorded in your MyKelseyOnline EPIC Medical Record. You do not need to report to the State of Texas, Kelsey-Seybold will provide necessary reports and documentation of vaccine immunizations to the TDSHS.

Patients who received their first dose of the vaccine at Kelsey-Seybold also scheduled their second vaccination appointment at that time.

Getting the second dose is critical to achieve full protection from the coronavirus.

If you received your first dose from another provider or at a community vaccination site you can get your second dose at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. Be sure to schedule your second dose for the same vaccine as your first dose. Call 713-442-5703 if you wish to schedule your second dose vaccine at a Kelsey-Seybold location.

Yes. Anyone 6 months and older is eligible to receive the vaccine. This includes Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, or any other community vaccination hub that offers the vaccine. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved for those 6 months and older. We encourage all patients who meet the vaccine age guidance to take advantage of any vaccination opportunity.

Kelsey-Seybold doctors recommend that anyone eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine do so. There are no medical diagnoses that are contraindications (conditions in a recipient that increases the risk for a serious adverse reaction) to vaccination. Only those with a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to the vaccine or one of its components, or those who are moderately or severely ill at the time of the visit should not be vaccinated. Learn More. Patients will be monitored for 15 minutes after the COVID-19 vaccine is administered for immediate adverse reactions.

Yes. Current guidance from the CDC does not say it is either a contraindication (conditions in a recipient that increases the risk for a serious adverse reaction) or a precaution if you have a history of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and you are can be vaccinated.

From CDC: Persons with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome. To date, no cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have been reported following vaccination among participants in the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines clinical trials. With few exceptions, ACIP’s general best practice guidelines for immunization does not include history of GBS as a contraindication or precaution to vaccination. Persons with a history of GBS may receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine unless they have a contraindication to vaccination. Any occurrence of GBS following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination should be reported to VAERS.

We know that some develop poorer immunity and may be reinfected. We are still trying to understand if asymptomatic infections produce long-lasting immunity. For that reason, we recommend that everyone who is eligible get vaccinated.

Vaccinations of any kind may cause lymph nodes to appear enlarged on imaging exams. Lymph nodes are part of the immune system that play a vital role in your body’s ability to fight off infections and after vaccinations, lymph nodes may get larger as your immune system ramps up production of antibodies.

To reduce the incidence of a false positive screening mammogram or CT CHEST result – or the need for additional evaluation – we recommend that if you are due for a screening mammogram or screening CT CHEST now and have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine, please have your screening studies done before your vaccination. If you have already had the first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, you may wish to wait two months between the final dose of vaccine and the scheduling of screening studies to minimize the potential of false positive results.

This recommendation does not apply to patients with breast lumps or other breast conditions who need a diagnostic mammogram. Only patients without breast symptoms seeking to schedule a screening mammogram should consider this recommendation.

Similarly, this recommendation does not apply to patients who have CT CHEST scans ordered by their doctor for chest or respiratory related symptoms. Only patients scheduled for surveillance CT CHEST to screen for lung cancer should consider this recommendation.

Herd immunity is achieved in one of two ways – or a combination of these two ways – it means that people in a community are protected from getting a disease because enough people have either had the disease or been vaccinated. Herd immunity makes it difficult for a disease to spread from person to person and may help protect those who cannot be vaccinated. At this time, experts are still investigating what percentage of people would need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity from COVID-19.

We encourage everyone to continue practicing COVID-19 safety measures like wearing a face mask or face covering when indoors until our community reaches herd immunity. Even if you have received both doses, there is still a possibility that you may spread the virus even as a fully vaccinated individual. Until the evidence shows that the vaccine is effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19, we continue to support the recommendation to mask up in public.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved for those 6 months and older.

Per CDC guidance: Once fully vaccinated you can gather indoors with others who have been fully vaccinated without wearing a mask. For more guidance on gatherings visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

People are considered fully vaccinated:

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If it has been less than 2 weeks since your first dose, or if you still need to get your second dose of a 2-dose vaccine, you are NOT fully protected. Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated.

After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces until we know more.

Patients can be immunocompromised for a variety of reasons. Patients ill with or receiving treatments for conditions such as diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, some cancer patients, and even those who are transplant recipients may have weakened immune systems.

For patients who are immunocompromised, vaccines must demonstrate that they are safe and effective. Patients who are immunocompromised can’t receive certain vaccines, like live virus vaccines.

None of the three COVID-19 vaccines that are currently authorized for emergency use in the United States are live virus vaccines. And the body of evidence continues to show that these vaccines are safe and effective for individuals who are immune compromised, though the degree of effectiveness can be less than with healthy individuals, because of the immune system issues.

Although children usually have milder illness with COVID-19, some will get serious, life-threatening symptoms or die from it. Even children with milder symptoms can have long-term effects on their overall health. Finally, until most of the population is vaccinated or recovered from this illness, the virus will continue to infect those who are vulnerable, and restrictions such as mask-wearing and social distancing will be needed to protect those at highest risk. Variants will also continue to develop and spread and could result in vaccinations becoming less protective.

Yes. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and meet the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality. COVID 19-vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19 and limiting the spread of the virus that causes it. Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines and severe reactions after vaccination are rare.

Pfizer announced the results in a recent news release. The company said its Phase III clinical trials show that Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is 100% effective in protecting children 12 – 15 years old from infection. The study enrolled 2,260 adolescents ages 12 – 15. No infections were reported in the group given the vaccine produced by Pfizer and its European partner, BioNTech, the release said. The placebo group reported 18 cases of COVID-19. The vaccinated children showed a strong antibody response with no serious side effects.

Children who receive the COVID-19 vaccine may experience some side effects, which are normal signs that their bodies are building an immune response. Most side effects will be localized to the arm that received the immunization or mild, such as fever, headache, and feeling tired/malaise. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen after the vaccine has been administered may help make your child feel better, as well as rest and drinking plenty of fluids. Do not give acetaminophen or Ibuprofen before the vaccine, as it may weaken the vaccine’s effectiveness.

No. The local and generalized reactions usually don’t start for several hours, and giving the medication in anticipation of problems can weaken the vaccine’s effectiveness.

The more people who are vaccinated, the fewer who can spread the illness to those who are not immune. Children also have a harder time remembering to wash hands, cover coughs, mask up, and social distance.

This will depend on the individual school districts and schools in some cases and may be mandated in other cases, or mandates may be voided by local or state governments. At this time, mandates for vaccination are being required for some universities and by some healthcare systems.

Yes, it is still recommended you receive the vaccine. The antibodies/immunity for those who tested positive for COVID-19 (symptomatic or asymptomatic) may last only a short period of time in your body, which may be why some are reportedly infected with the virus more than once. It is currently recommended that anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 receive the vaccine.

We are confident that the ongoing safety and efficacy testing will result in a vaccine that we can trust and which will prevent a significant proportion of SARS-CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) illnesses. In trials conducted and data reported to date, the vaccines given to more than 70,000 people have prevented 90 – 95% of the infections that would have occurred without the vaccine. This provides evidence these are among the most effective vaccines we have ever seen, much more effective than flu vaccines.

Yes. The testing procedures for these vaccines have been the same as that for other vaccines. The mRNA vaccines do not contain live virus and are being held to the same rigorous safety and effectiveness standards as all other types of vaccines in the United States. The only COVID-19 vaccines the FDA will make available for use in the United States (by approval or emergency-use authorization) are those that meet these standards. Operation Warp Speed has expedited the administrative functions which have cleared the way for a faster release to market. The vaccine is a critical step in our fight against the spread of COVID-19 and ending the pandemic.

Participants in coronavirus vaccine trials did experience side effects such as fever, body aches, headaches, day-long exhaustion, and other symptoms after receiving the immunization. While the symptoms were uncomfortable, most went away after a day or so. It is important to know about these potential side effects so that patients may plan for a possible day of feeling under the weather. Side effects from vaccination are a good sign, an indication that the immune system is responding to the vaccine.

Both vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) will require two doses. Patients will receive a second dose either 21 or 28 days after their first inoculation.

Those who receive the vaccine may experience discomfort from fever or pain for about 24 hours after their vaccination. These are side effects of the vaccine and are a good sign that your immune system is responding.

You should contact your Kelsey-Seybold provider if the redness or tenderness where you got the shot increases after 24 hours or if your side effects are worrying you or do not seem to be going away after a few days.

At this time, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that healthcare personnel be offered vaccination in the initial phase of the COVID-19 vaccination program. Healthcare personnel who are pregnant may choose to be vaccinated. This position is supported by both ACOG (American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology) and SMFM (the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine). We recommend pregnant and lactating women discuss their options with their Obstetrician.

Pregnant women and especially pregnant women with comorbidities are at greater risk for severe COVID-19; women may wish to take this into account in their decision-making. Currently, there is limited data available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are pregnant, but based on how mRNA vaccines work, experts believe they are unlikely to pose a risk for people who are pregnant. mRNA vaccines do not contain the live virus that causes COVID-19 and therefore cannot give someone COVID-19.

No. The vaccines available and in development in the U.S. do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19.

According to the CDC, it may take approximately one to two weeks following your second dose to be considered fully vaccinated.

Keep in mind that it will take a few weeks for your body to build immunity after getting a COVID-19 vaccination. As a result, you could become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or after being vaccinated. It is important to continue to practice safety measures and not let your guard down!

It is also not known if the vaccine prevents transmission of COVID-19, which is why it will continue to be important to practice safety measures like social distancing and wearing a mask even after becoming fully immunized.

Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools available. Vaccines work with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. Other steps, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask and staying at least 6 feet away from others, help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.