When Do You Know If a Vaccine Is Safe?

This video is part of our Kite & Key Shorts series — easy to understand ... but hard to forget.

Many Americans are worried about long-term side effects from vaccines.

In 2016, 70% of American families who didn’t get their children vaccinated cited ‘fear of complications’ as their reason for avoiding the shots.ⁱ

There are similar anxieties around the COVID vaccines.

As of June, tens of millions of Americans said they still wanted to “wait and see” the effects before taking the vaccine.ⁱⁱ

So … how long do they have to wait?

The answer is clearer than you may think.

First: Serious side effects are rare in approved vaccines.

Second: When they do show up, it happens quickly — within six to eight weeks after inoculation.ⁱⁱⁱ

Longer than that? There’s no need to worry.

No approved vaccine has ever produced side effects years after injection.^iv

It’s always a good idea to consult with a doctor about vaccine risks, but long-term side effects aren’t one of them.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

1. As of June, tens of millions of Americans said they wanted to “wait and see” the effects before taking a COVID vaccine.
2. Serious vaccine side effects are very rare and appear within 6-8 weeks after inoculation.
3. No approved vaccine has ever produced side effects years after injection.