ABC13 answers your top questions about COVID-19 vaccines Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, December 11, 2020
ABC13 answers your questions about COVID-19 vaccines
As the vaccine's arrival in Texas comes closer to being a reality, there are still questions we are working to answer.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The countdown to the COVID-19 vaccine is on. As the FDA reviews Pfizer's vaccine for Emergency Authorization Use, we could be just days away from the first vaccinations in the U.S.

So when could you get it? Should you get it? What communities are the priority? How will the distribution work?

READ ALSO: 5 things to know about the Pfizer vaccine

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe? What are the risks?

Dr. Peter Hotez says there should be minimal concern regarding allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.

"When we vaccinate people, allergic reactions are not uncommon, they do occur. And sometimes even severe reactions, but they're extremely rare. We're talking on the order of one in a million," Hotez said.

He says the Pfizer vaccine is safe.

The Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective and protects men and women equally, along with people of different races and ethnicities.

It's safe for people who are 16 and older to receive.

SEE ALSO: After 2 allergic reactions in the UK, Houston doctor says vaccines still safe

The Pfizer vaccine has already been tested on thousands of people, and a Houston vaccine expert hopes the FDA doesn't prompt fear after allergic reactions were reported.