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Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (also known as Spikevax): Overview and Safety
Recommended for People 18 Years and Older
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Guidance for people who are immunocompromised
General Information
Manufacturer: ModernaTX, Inc.
Number of Shots: 2 doses in the primary series, given 4–8 weeks apart.
People ages 18 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should get a third dose at least 4 weeks after their second dose.
Booster Shot: People ages 18 years and older who received a Moderna primary series should get a booster. Some people can also choose to receive a second booster.
Type of Vaccine: mRNA
How Given: Shot in the muscle of the upper arm
Does NOT Contain: Eggs, preservatives, latex, metals
See full list of ingredients below
Name: mRNA-1273
Brand name: Spikevax
Moderna (Spikevax) Name Change
Moderna (Spikevax) COVID-19 vaccine received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on January 31,2022, for individuals ages 18 years and older. Once vaccines are approved by the FDA, companies can market the vaccines under brand names. Spikevax is the brand name for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA-authorized Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for individuals ages 18 years and older will now be marketed as Spikevax. No change has been made to the vaccine’s formula with the name change.
Safety Data Summary
- COVID-19 vaccines have undergone—and will continue to undergo—the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. Evidence from the hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccines already administered in the United States, and the billions of vaccines administered globally, demonstrates that they are safe and effective.
- Side effects that happen within 7 days of getting vaccinated are common but are mostly mild. Some people have reactions that affect their ability to do daily activities.
- Side effects throughout the body (such as fever, chills, tiredness, and headache) are more common after the second dose of the vaccine.
- Severe allergic reactions to vaccines are rare but can happen.
- There is a rare risk of myocarditis and pericarditis associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, mostly among males ages 12 through 39 years. The rare risk may be further reduced with a longer interval between the first and second dose. Learn more about the timing for your second dose.
Learn more about vaccine safety monitoring after a vaccine is authorized or approved for use.
How Well the Vaccine Works
- Vaccines reduce the risk of COVID-19, including the risk of severe illness and death among people who are fully vaccinated.
- COVID-19 vaccines are effective, but studies have shown vaccine protection declines over time especially with the Omicron variant. Learn more about getting a booster shot to enhance or restore protection against COVID-19.
- All FDA-approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines provide substantial protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and death.
- CDC will continue to provide updates as we learn more.
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Ingredients
All COVID-19 vaccine ingredients are safe. Nearly all the ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines are ingredients found in many foods—fats, sugars, and salts. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine also contains a harmless piece of messenger RNA (mRNA). The COVID-19 mRNA teaches cells in the body how to create an effective immune response to the virus that causes COVID-19. This response helps protect you from getting sick with COVID-19 in the future. After the body produces an immune response, it discards all the vaccine ingredients, just as it would discard any substance that cells no longer need. This process is a part of normal body functioning.
All COVID-19 vaccines are manufactured with as few ingredients as possible and with very small amounts of each ingredient. Each ingredient in the vaccine serves a specific purpose as seen in the table below.
Full list of ingredients
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine contains the following ingredients:
Ingredients that are NOT used in COVID-19 vaccines
The above table lists ALL ingredients in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. There are NO ingredients in this vaccine beyond what is listed in the table. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has
- No preservatives like thimerosal or mercury or any other preservatives.
- No antibiotics like sulfonamide or any other antibiotics.
- No medicines or therapeutics like ivermectin or any other medications.
- No tissues like aborted fetal cells, gelatin, or any materials from any animal.
- No food proteins like eggs or egg products, gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, nut products, or any nut byproducts (COVID-19 vaccines are not manufactured in facilities that produce food products).
- No metals like iron, nickel, cobalt, titanium, rare earth alloys, or any manufactured products like microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes or other nanostructures, or nanowire semiconductors.
- No latex. The vial stoppers used to hold the vaccine also do not contain latex.
For Healthcare Workers
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: General information, schedule and administration overview.