Spikevax Injection: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Spikevax Injection is an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna that helps protect against COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is used in people 65 years and older, as well as in people 6 months through 64 years of age who have at least one health condition that raises their risk of severe COVID-19. It contains no live virus and cannot give you COVID-19. It is given as a shot by a healthcare provider, usually into the upper arm.

What is Spikevax Injection

Spikevax is an mRNA vaccine made by Moderna that helps protect against COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It does not contain any live virus, so it cannot give you COVID-19.

Spikevax Injection uses

• Helps prevent COVID-19 in people 65 years of age and older
• Helps prevent COVID-19 in people 6 months through 64 years of age who have at least one health condition that raises their risk of severe COVID-19

Benefits of Spikevax Injection

• Can lower your chance of getting COVID-19
• If you do get infected, it can make the illness less severe
• May help lower the chance of developing long COVID

How Spikevax Injection works

Spikevax uses mRNA wrapped in tiny fat particles to teach your cells to make a harmless piece of the virus's spike protein. Your immune system recognizes this protein as foreign and builds a defense against it, which helps protect you from COVID-19.

Spikevax Injection dosage

This vaccine is given as a shot into a muscle, usually in the upper arm, by a healthcare provider. Children under 2 years old without previous Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses receive two separate shots about a month apart. People 2 years of age and older usually receive a single shot regardless of past COVID-19 vaccination. If you've had a COVID-19 vaccine before, your provider will wait a certain amount of time before giving you this one. Your provider may ask you to stay for a short time after your shot so they can watch for any allergic reaction. Keep a record of the vaccines you receive and bring it to your appointments.

Available forms and strengths

• Injection

Side effects of Spikevax Injection

Common

• Pain, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite
• Swelling and tenderness in the armpits or groin
• Irritability or crying, sleepiness, and loss of appetite in young children

Serious

• Severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), with symptoms like trouble breathing, swelling of the face and throat, fast heartbeat, body-wide rash, dizziness and weakness
• Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the lining around the heart), especially in males 12 through 24 years old
• Fainting after the shot
• Febrile seizures (seizures caused by fever), reported after marketing

Warnings and precautions

• A severe allergic reaction can rarely happen, usually within minutes to an hour after the shot, so your provider may want you to stay nearby for monitoring and treatment must be available right away.
• This vaccine can raise the risk of heart inflammation conditions called myocarditis and pericarditis, most often in the first week after the shot. Young men between 12 and 24 are at the highest risk.
• People with weakened immune systems, including those taking medicines that suppress the immune system, may not respond to the vaccine as strongly as others.
• Fainting can happen after getting this or other injected vaccines, so steps should be taken to prevent injury if you feel faint.
• This vaccine may not fully protect everyone who receives it.
• There isn't enough data yet to know the exact risks of this vaccine during pregnancy, though animal studies showed no harm to the fetus. 
• Pregnant people face a higher risk of severe COVID-19, so discuss the decision with your healthcare provider.
• It isn't known if this vaccine passes into breast milk or affects breastfed babies. 
• Your healthcare provider can help you weigh the benefits of breastfeeding against your need for vaccination.
• It isn't known if drinking alcohol affects this vaccine.
• Don't drive or use machinery if you feel unwell after your shot. Wait until any side effects have gone away before driving or operating machines.

Storage

• Store frozen between -50°C to -15°C (-58°F to 5°F)
• After thawing, may be stored refrigerated between 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) for up to 60 days or until the expiration date on the carton, whichever comes first
• After thawing, may be stored between 8°C to 25°C (46°F to 77°F) for up to 12 hours
• Do not refreeze once thawed
• Minimize exposure to room light during storage and avoid direct sunlight and ultraviolet light; thawed syringes can be handled in room light conditions
• Your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse is responsible for storing this vaccine and disposing of any unused product correctly

When to see a doctor

• Get medical help right away if you have chest pain, shortness of breath, a fast or pounding heartbeat, or fainting after your shot, as these can be signs of heart inflammation.
• Call for help right away if you notice trouble breathing, swelling of your face or throat, a fast heartbeat, a rash all over your body, or dizziness and weakness, as these can be signs of a severe allergic reaction.

Alternatives

• CoronaVac
• Nuvaxovid
• Comirnaty