COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Last updated Feb. 24, 2021

As more people become eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, many cancer patients may be concerned about if and when they should get vaccinated – and whether they can get vaccinated at MD Anderson.

“After careful review of all available evidence, our clinical experts have determined both COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration are safe and recommended for former and current cancer patients,” says Welela Tereffe, M.D., chief medical executive. “Both were highly effective at preventing symptomatic infection when tested in the general population, including in people with serious medical conditions.”

MD Anderson has begun administering a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines for our cancer patients. 

Here’s what our cancer patients should know about getting vaccinated at MD Anderson.

MD Anderson is inviting patients to schedule COVID-19 vaccination in phases

As we receive more vaccine supply from the state, we will open more Dose 1 vaccine clinics for patients to self-schedule through MyChart.

Due to limited supply nationwide, MD Anderson is inviting patients in phases to self-schedule COVID-19 vaccinations. These will be either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, both of which require two doses.

You will receive both text notifications and a notification in MyChart when we are able to offer vaccination to you. This will be a personalized notification, which means only you will be able to sign up with the link. If you have a schedule conflict when you receive your invitation, you can use this same invitation to schedule in the future.

Please do not call the clinic to schedule a vaccine appointment; clinics do not have access to the scheduling system. As we get additional supply, we will plan more clinics and invite more outpatients through MyChart.

Timing matters for cancer patients receiving certain treatments

Cancer patients currently receiving chemotherapy, immunotherapy, CAR T cell therapy, stem cell transplants or who are participating in clinical trials should check with their MD Anderson provider about vaccine appointment timing. There are no safety concerns about vaccination for patients who are in treatment, but the vaccines will likely be more effective if timed in coordination with your treatment schedule.

• If you are a current or past breast cancer patient, ask to receive the vaccine in the arm opposite of your breast cancer site. This will help support your immune respones and lessen lymph node enlargement. Enlarged lymph nodes can falsely affect cancer screening and diagnostic imaging results up to 6 weeks after vaccination.
• Patients who have recently had surgery should wait for 2 weeks after their surgery date to receive the vaccine.
• You should defer COVID-19 vaccination for 14 days after receiving any other vaccine.
• You should defer vaccination for 90 days after treatment for symptomatic COVID-19 with monoclonal antibody therapy or convalescent plasma.
• If you need a diagnostic imaging exam that includes your axillary lymph nodes, talk to your doctor to see if it is medically appropriate to delay the exam for 6 to 10 weeks after your COVID-19 vaccination. Your body's immune response to the vaccine may cause temporary inflammation of your axillary nodes and interfere with your imaging exam.

In rare cases, people with a history of allergic reactions should proceed with caution or avoid vaccination. Please review these resources for further information:

• Pfizer fact sheet for vaccine recipients (ingredients, benefits, risks/side effects): English | Spanish | Other languages
• Moderna fact sheet for vaccine recipients (ingredients, benefits, risks/side effects):  English | Spanish | Other languages

All other patients can proceed to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment without contacting their MD Anderson provider for further guidance.

“Cancer patients and survivors shouldn’t pass up the chance to get the vaccine, wherever it is available to them,” says Anita Ying, M.D., vice president of Ambulatory Medical Operations.

You will need to return for your second dose at your scheduled time

Both COVID-19 vaccines require two doses to ensure maximum efficacy. The Pfizer vaccine is delivered in two separate doses that are given 3 weeks apart. The Moderna vaccine is delivered in two separate doses given 4 weeks apart.

Plan to receive both doses from MD Anderson, on schedule, if you get vaccinated at MD Anderson. If you get your first dose at another health care provider, plan to get your second dose from them, too. Each institution is only given enough Dose 2 supply to match their Dose 1 supply.

“You need to get both doses at the designated time unless you have an immediate or severe allergic reaction to the vaccine ingredients,” says Roy Chemaly, M.D., chief infection control officer.

We are only providing the COVID-19 vaccines on our Texas Medical Center Campus

All patient vaccination clinics are held on MD Anderson’s Texas Medical Center Campus at our Mid Campus Building 1 (1MC), located at 7007 Bertner. Free parking is available in the 1MC garage. Those with appointments will receive a map and directions as part of their scheduling process.

1MC is the only location where we will offer vaccines for the near future.

Concealed handguns aren't allowed in our vaccine clinics.

Visitor restrictions remain in place

To protect our employees and patients with weakened immune systems from COVID-19, MD Anderson is not allowing visitors on our campuses, with limited exceptions. As a result, patients will not be able to bring a caregiver with them when they receive the COVID-19 vaccine, even if that person has already received the vaccine.

Please plan for your family members or caregivers to drop you off and pick you up if they are driving you to your vaccine appointment. The Respite Area is not open on the weekends.

COVID-19 screening and masking protocols continue

Plan to arrive a few minutes early for your vaccine appointment. You’ll be screened for COVID-19 at the entrance and will asked to wear the medical-grade face mask we provide while you’re on our campus. To prevent the spread of infection, we also ask that you maintain social distancing and sanitize your hands.

There is no cost to you for the COVID-19 vaccine

Your insurance may be billed for the COVID-19 vaccine administration fee. Your insurance carrier should process the vaccine administration charge without applying any out-of-pocket costs to you. There is no charge for the vaccine itself, which is being provided by the state at no cost.

Community resources

Since COVID-19 vaccine supply is limited and MD Anderson is working to prevent the spread of the virus on our campuses, we are only able to provide the vaccine for our employees and invited patients at this time.

Friends and family members in Texas may be able to find vaccine options through the Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Availability site. This interactive website allows users to locate vaccine distribution sites, including those that currently have available first doses.

Also, check for information from health care systems that have been designated as vaccination hub providers. 

Continue COVID-19 precautions even after you get vaccinated

Even after you’ve gotten both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s important to continue wearing a mask, practice social distancing and wash your hands frequently.

“We are optimistic that vaccination will help us turn the tide against COVID-19 in the coming months, but it won’t be overnight, including for anyone who’s been vaccinated,” says Chemaly. 

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Myths and misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccines may be impacting the decisions you make about whether to get vaccinated – or what to do once you’ve gotten the vaccine.

To help separate fact from fiction, we asked our medical experts to weigh in on several common myths and misconceptions surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines.

1. Myth: You shouldn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine if you’re currently receiving cancer treatment.

Fact: After carefully reviewing all available data on these vaccines, MD Anderson medical experts have determined that both vaccines are safe and recommended for current and former cancer patients.

“There are no safety concerns about vaccination for patients who are currently receiving cancer treatment, but the vaccines will likely be more effective if timed in coordination with your treatment schedule,” says Welela Tereffe, M.D., chief medical executive. “Your oncologist can help you decide when the right time is to be vaccinated, to maximize the chances that you'll get the full benefit of the vaccine.”

If you’re currently receiving chemotherapy, immunotherapy, CAR T-cell therapy, stem cell transplants or are enrolled in a clinical trial, check with your provider about vaccine appointment timing. Patients who have recently had surgery should wait for 2 weeks after their surgery date to receive the vaccine.

All other patients can go ahead and schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment without contacting their provider for further guidance.

2. Myth: I can’t spread COVID-19 to others once I’ve been vaccinated.

Fact: “While we know the vaccine will protect against COVID-19 disease, we don't know yet whether it will protect against asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus, which would allow you to pass on the virus to another individual,” says infectious diseases specialist David Tweardy, M.D.

“Our national COVID-19 vaccine supply is still limited right now and not everyone around you will be able to get vaccinated right away,” adds Tereffe, “so until all of us have the opportunity to be vaccinated and reach a level of herd immunity, masking, hand washing and social distancing are the best ways to keep everybody else safe.”

3. Myth: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain a live coronavirus that can make me sick.

Fact: “Both of these vaccines use mRNA technology. The vaccines do not include a live virus,” says Kris Mahadeo, M.D., medical director of Pediatric Stem Cell Therapy/Cell Therapy.

“You may experience side effects of the vaccine, but you're not going to get the actual virus from the vaccine.”

4. Myth: The vaccines were produced too quickly to be safe.

Fact: “Medical experts were involved in every step of the development of these vaccines,” says Tereffe. “No corners were cut in their development or the trials that showed that they worked.”

She notes that in order to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, a vaccine has to be at least 50% effective at preventing symptomatic infection. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 95% effective at preventing symptomatic infection.

“Using mRNA for vaccines to prevent viral infections has been studied for years,” adds Tweardy. “Part of the reason researchers were able to develop these vaccines so quickly is because COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus similar to SARS and MERS, and researchers were able to build upon previous work creating mRNA vaccines for these viruses as they searched for a vaccine against COVID-19.”

5. Myth: You don’t need the second vaccine dose.

Fact: “If you’re getting the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, you need to get both doses. The data from the clinical trials for these vaccines established that the second dose really achieves a much higher level of protection than the first dose alone,” says Tweardy.

The Pfizer vaccine is delivered in two separate doses that are given 3 weeks apart. The Moderna vaccine is delivered in two separate doses given 4 weeks apart.

6. Myth: The vaccine will cause you to test positive for COVID-19.

Fact: “If you take the vaccine and you don’t have a COVID-19 infection, you should not test positive for the coronavirus on a PCR or antigen test since this inactivated vaccine does not contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” says employee health specialist Elizabeth Frenzel, M.D. “If you take a COVID-19 test and it’s positive after your first dose or second dose of vaccine, you have an active infection and may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus.”

She adds that any time you test positive for COVID-19, stay home and contact your health care provider for guidance.

7. Myth: You don’t need to get vaccinated if you’ve already had COVID-19.

Fact: “If you’ve been diagnosed in the past with COVID-19, we recommend that you still get the vaccine because the vaccine will help to boost your immunity even further than the infection itself,” says Tweardy.

He adds that if you had a symptomatic COVID-19 infection, make sure you recover and finish your quarantine before getting the vaccine. If you were given monoclonal antibody therapy or convalescent plasma as a treatment, you should wait 90 days before receiving any COVID-19 vaccine.

8. Myth: The COVID-19 vaccines will alter your DNA.

Fact: “The mRNA vaccines do not change or affect your DNA,” says Tweardy. “These vaccines teach your cells to produce proteins that train your immune system to create antibodies that help the body fight off infection. They don’t interact with your DNA at all.”

9. Myth: The COVID-19 vaccines have severe side effects.

Fact: “The side effects for the COVID-19 vaccines are very similar to those that people experience when they get the flu shot. If you've had the flu shot and you've done OK, you'll probably do just fine with the COVID-19 vaccine,” says Tereffe.

She adds that people who receive the vaccines may experience some short-term side effects, such as arm pain, fatigue and headaches right after the injection.

“More serious side effects are rare,” says Tereffe. “In a very small number of people, a serious allergic reaction could happen after vaccination. But so far, the number of people who've had this kind of reaction is very small, compared to the millions of people who've now been vaccinated. The benefits of getting the vaccine far exceed the risks of having an allergic reaction, especially for those at high-risk for severe infection, such as cancer patients.”

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Last updated Feb. 19, 2021

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase, you probably have a lot of questions about coronavirus vaccines. Are they safe? Can you still get infected with COVID-19 if you've been vaccinated? How soon will you be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine and get back to some semblance of a normal life? When can cancer patients get vaccinated?

For answers to these COVID-19 vaccine questions and more, we spoke with our chief medical executive Welela Tereffe, M.D., infectious diseases specialist and head of Internal Medicine David Tweardy, M.D., and infectious diseases and infection control specialist Elizabeth Frenzel, M.D.

Are the COVID-19 vaccines safe for cancer patients?

Tereffe: After careful review of all available scientific evidence, our clinical experts have determined that both COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are safe and recommended for former and current cancer patients. 

Patients currently receiving chemotherapy, immunotherapy, CAR T cell therapy, stem cell treatments or participating in clinical trials can still receive the vaccine. Check with your provider for vaccine timing recommendations prior to scheduling. 

The vaccines are safe for patients in treatment but will likely be more effective if timed in coordination with the treatment schedule. 

If you are a current or past breast cancer patient, ask to receive the vaccine in the arm opposite of your breast cancer site. This will help support your immune response and lessen lymph node enlargement. Enlarged lymph nodes can falsely affect cancer screening and diagnostic imaging results up to 6 weeks after vaccination.

Patients who have recently had surgery should wait for 2 weeks after their surgery date to receive the vaccine.

All other patients can proceed to schedule a vaccine appointment without contacting MD Anderson for further guidance. 

When will MD Anderson offer the COVID-19 vaccines to patients?

MD Anderson has begun administering a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines for our cancer patients. Supply is limited. These will be either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, both of which require two doses.

As we receive more vaccine supply, we will invite additional outpatients in phases to self-schedule their first of two COVID-19 vaccine doses in MyChart. Patients will receive both text message notifications and a MyChart message. Patients should not call their clinics to schedule a vaccine appointment as clinics do not have scheduling access. 

It’s important to continue taking precautions such as wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing and washing your hands frequently, even after you receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These precautions will be necessary until public health experts advise otherwise.

Will people who’ve recovered from COVID-19 be able to get vaccinated?

Frenzel: Since reinfection is a possibility, vaccination is expected to provide added protection for those who’ve recovered from COVID-19. However, you should wait to get vaccinated until your symptoms of infection have resolved and you have completed the quarantine period recommended by the CDC. In addition, if you received monoclonal antibody therapy or convalescent plasma to treat your COVID-19 infecton, you should wait 90 days after receiving those treatments to be vaccinated.

After symptomatic infection, natural immunity appears to persist for at least 3 months. Therefore you could choose to defer vaccination for 90 days if you desire. If your infection was asymptomatic, it should not factor into your decision to be vaccinated since you may not have effective immunity.

How do the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work?

Tweardy: Our cells use messenger RNA (mRNA) to produce the various proteins our bodies need to function. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both use an mRNA sequence that codes for the unique spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Once a person receives the vaccine, their cells take up that mRNA sequence and produce the COVID-19 spike protein. Their immune system then detects those proteins as foreign and creates antibodies against them, which helps provide protection from future COVID-19 infections.

Currently, both of these vaccines require two doses given a few weeks apart to be effective.

What are the other types of coronavirus vaccines being developed?

Tweardy: There are three other types being developed that are in the lead. One involves deactivated virus. Another type uses a carrier virus (such as an adenovirus) containing the part of the coronavirus’ DNA that encodes the spike protein. And another type uses a single protein from the tip of the spikes that cover the coronavirus and allow it to bind to and infect human cells.

The type that uses deactivated virus is the most old-fashioned and the least sophisticated. It involves injecting people with virus that’s been inactivated (or made harmless) through heat or some other means. This causes a very broad immune response in the recipient, but not necessarily the one you want.

The carrier virus method targets the really important part of the virus — the protein spikes that stick up like little maces all over its surface — instead of the virus as a whole. It prompts the body to generate the spike protein itself. Once that happens, the immune system recognizes it as an invader and starts developing antibodies against it. So, when the real coronavirus comes along, these antibodies can shut it down. This is the strategy that most of the vaccine makers are pursuing right now. 

The last type of coronavirus vaccine involves injecting people with the spike protein itself, instead of pushing their bodies to generate it.

All three of these last approaches have been used successfully, based on the studies done so far. The last one is just not quite as far along in testing as the RNA and carrier approaches are.

What makes the RNA-approach so different from that of previous vaccines?

Tweardy: This is the first time this type of technology has ever been used for a vaccine. And the speed at which it is being developed is truly mind-boggling.

Remember, this particular coronavirus was virtually unknown in November 2019. The actual syndrome caused by it was only first described in December 2019. A month later, scientists had isolated the virus and sequenced its genome. That’s something that used to take a full year or more. Two months later, we had the first COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Four months after that, some were already in Phase III clinical trials. And we’ll have a coronavirus vaccine available to health care workers in December 2020.

We’re living through a modern scientific miracle. Vaccines have not been developed at this speed before. Vaccine development usually takes 10 to 15 years after the identification of a new infectious disease. I’ve been working in infectious diseases for 40 years, and I never would’ve thought it was possible.

Could this same mRNA vaccination method be used again against future coronaviruses?

Tweardy: Absolutely. This strategy has the capacity to almost let us anticipate the next strain of coronavirus so we can be prepared for it, kind of like we do now with the flu.

We could sequence the next coronavirus that’s identified as distinct and separate from this one in a month or less. Once we had that, we could insert the sequence of its spike protein into every step of the vaccine development pathway. That could get us another vaccine for testing within three months.

With this family of coronaviruses, that could potentially allow us to have a vaccine ready before the next one even becomes a pandemic. So theoretically, we could stop the next pandemic in its tracks.

Are the coronavirus vaccines safe?

Tweardy: Yes. I think anyone who gets a coronavirus vaccine that has received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can have confidence that it will be safe, and that the benefits of being vaccinated will outweigh the risks. Otherwise, it wouldn’t receive an EUA. The FDA has been looking at this very carefully, and each vaccine has had to be tested on a lot of people to get authorized for emergency use.

COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus similar to SARS and MERS, and researchers were able to build upon previous work creating vaccines for these diseases as they searched for a vaccine against COVID-19. mRNA has been studied for many years in relation to the study of infectious diseases and as an area of opportunity in cancer treatment.

COVID-19 is the third in a series of coronaviruses. After SARS and MERS, we understand the pathogenesis and early aspects of immunity and have learned from those experiences and taken that knowledge to target the weak spot of coronaviruses.

Even more closely watched than the efficacy of the vaccines in the clinical trials is the safety of the participants. For the FDA to consider an application for emergency authorization of a vaccine, more than half of the people enrolled must have been monitored for at least two months. Preliminary data shows the observed side effects are very similar to the flu vaccine, such as pain at the injection site and fatigue.

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee comprises experts in medicine and research who meet to review the request for EUA of a vaccine, and these experts evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. Clinical trial participants will continue to be followed even after any EUAs are granted.

Is it safe to get a diagnostic imaging exam, like an MRI or CT scan, after you get a COVID-19 vaccine?

If you need a diagnostic imaging exam that includes your axillary lymph nodes, talk to your doctor to see if it is medically appropriate to delay the exam for 6 to 10 weeks after your COVID-19 vaccination. Your body's immune response to the vaccine may cause temporary inflammation of your axillary lymph nodes and interfere with your imaging exam.

Is it safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine if you're pregnant or breastfeeding?

Frenzel: Safety data isn't yet available on vaccine-associated risks during pregnancy or the effects of COVID-19 vaccines on breastfed infants or on milk production/excretion. In breastfeeding women, mRNA vaccines are not thought to be a risk to the breastfed infant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness should they get COVID-19, and their babies may be at risk for adverse outcomes like preterm birth. For these reasons, women who are pregnant should consult with their health care providers to evaluate their personal risk of contracting COVID-19 as they consider whether to undergo vaccination. The decision is yours and should be based on available safety information and thoughtful consideration of the risks versus benefits of vaccination.

How long will the coronavirus vaccines be effective?

Tweardy: We’d obviously love for it to give lifelong immunity against COVID-19, but that remains to be seen, as many people in the clinical trials are still in the follow-up period. We believe at least three months, if not six months or more. More data is coming and will guide us for future planning. If I had to guess, I would say it’s probably going to fall somewhere between influenza and the mumps, in terms of longevity of protection. It will probably be closer to the flu, because respiratory viruses don’t tend to lead to long-term immunity. 

What are the chances that a person who gets vaccinated can still get infected with COVID-19?

Tereffe: We know from the data so far that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines confer about 95% effectiveness after the second dose – meaning there were a few people who still experienced a symptomatic COVID-19 infection after their full course of vaccination. Among those who did experience a symptomatic infection, the vaccine helped prevent serious symptoms and hospitalization. We don’t have meaningful data on asymptomatic infections in the trial groups. That means that we don’t know if vaccinated people could still carry the virus and transmit it to others, without having symptoms themselves.

These are very highly effective vaccines – for comparison, the flu vaccine we get is 50% to 70% effective and it still has a big impact each year. It will take some time, but widespread vaccination have a big impact on slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Related stories

• Insights from a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial participant
• When will we achieve herd immunity? 
• What counts as COVID-19 exposure?

Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or by calling 1-877-632-6789.

You’ve gotten a COVID-19 vaccine. That’s a big, welcome milestone. After months of masking, social distancing and seemingly endless hand-washing, you now have extra protection.

But what does being vaccinated really mean, in terms of how to live your daily life? Is it safe to socialize with your friends and extended family now? Do you still need to wear a mask and stay socially distanced from them, if you do? What if they’ve been vaccinated, too?

Before you start making plans, here’s what you should know.

You need both COVID-19 vaccine doses and time to ensure maximum protection

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines confer some level of protection after the first dose. But it’s important to get the second dose for maximum protection.

“If you’re only halfway through your two-dose vaccine regimen, you could be only about 50% protected until you receive the second required dose,” says Roy Chemaly, M.D., chief infection control officer.

The Pfizer vaccine is delivered in two separate doses that are given 3 weeks apart. The Moderna vaccine is delivered in two separate doses given 4 weeks apart.

Data from the clinical trials for these vaccines shows you need to get the second dose to achieve a higher level of protection. Vaccine recipients are up to 50% protected against the possibility of a severe infection about 10 days after the first dose, and up to 95% protected about seven days after the second one.

So, you shouldn’t leave either of your vaccination appointments assuming you’re fully protected.

Vaccination doesn’t guarantee you won’t get a COVID-19 infection

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines prevent up to 95% of recipients from developing a severe case of COVID-19 — not from developing any case at all. And preliminary data show they are also effective against the current mutations from South Africa and the United Kingdom, though that may not be true for future strains.

“The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are very effective, but they are not 100% effective,” says Chemaly. “Around 5% to 13% of those who receive the vaccine will not be protected from a COVID-19 infection.”

You may be still be able to spread the coronavirus after you’re vaccinated

We don’t yet know whether the vaccines protect against asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus, Chemaly says.

“This would enable you to pass the virus to someone else even after you’ve been vaccinated, which is why it’s so important to continue wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing your hands regularly,” he notes.

Continue to avoid large gatherings and indoor get-togethers

Being vaccinated significantly reduces the odds you’ll develop a severe case of COVID-19. “But our national COVID-19 vaccine supply is still limited right now, so not everyone around you will be able to get vaccinated right away,” says Welela Tereffe, M.D., chief medical executive.

This means it’s still unsafe — even after vaccination — to gather in large groups or to have indoor gatherings that mix members from different households. 

“Those kinds of behaviors are what’s driving the pandemic and increasing the risk of illness and death for so many people,” says Tereffe. “That’s why it’s so important, even after you’ve been vaccinated, to avoid large gatherings and indoor get-togethers, and keep wearing a mask, social distancing and washing your hands until public health experts tell us otherwise.”

Don’t let down your guard yet

So, how much longer will the pandemic last, and when can we finally take off our masks and hug all the people we love?

Chemaly says the answer to those questions is both easy to say and hard to predict: when we reach herd immunity. At least 70% of the population will need to be vaccinated or have natural immunity in order to achieve that milestone. And since the coronavirus is still so new, there’s simply not enough data available yet to say when that might occur.

“We really don’t know and I don’t want to guess exactly when that will be,” says Chemaly. “It depends on how quickly the vaccine is widely distributed, and how many people will take it. We just have to wait and see what the data show.”

Until then, the same rules apply after vaccination as did before vaccination: keep wearing a mask, social distancing and washing your hands. “We’re confident that vaccination will help us get through this,” Chemaly says, “but we can’t let down our guard yet.”

Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or by calling 1-877-632-6789.