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Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (also known as COMIRNATY): Overview and Safety
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Guidance for people who are immunocompromised
General Information
Manufacturer: Pfizer, Inc., and BioNTech
Number of Shots: 2 doses in the primary series, given 3–8 weeks apart.
People ages 5 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should get a third dose at least 4 weeks after their second dose.
Booster Shots: People ages 5 years and older who received a Pfizer-BioNTech primary series should get a booster. Some people should get 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
Name: BNT162b2
Brand name: COMIRNATY
Pfizer-BioNTech (COMIRNATY) Name Change
Pfizer-BioNTech (COMIRNATY) received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on August 23, 2021, for individuals ages 16 years and older. Once vaccines are approved by the FDA, companies can market the vaccines under brand names. COMIRNATY is the brand name for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. After FDA approval, the FDA-authorized Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals ages 16 years and older was marketed as COMIRNATY. No change was made to the vaccine’s formula with the name change.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine label remains for individuals ages 5–15 years since the vaccine is authorized but not yet approved for this age group.
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 side effects 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.
Learn about demographic information for people ages 16 years and olderexternal icon who participated in the trials.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Ingredients
All COVID-19 vaccine ingredients are safe. Nearly all of the ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines are ingredients found in many foods – fats, sugars, and salts. The Pfizer-BioNTech 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 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 of 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.
Pfizer-BioNTech has updated the formulation of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The updated formulation has the same active ingredients as the previous formulation but uses different stabilizers (ingredients that help keep the vaccine molecules stable while the vaccine is manufactured, frozen, shipped, and stored). These changes allow for easier shipping and longer storage of vaccines at refrigerator temperatures. This will help improve access to vaccines for people who need them and will decrease waste.
The previous formulation for people ages 12 years and older is no longer being distributed, and once the doses of that formulation have been used, only the updated formulation will be available. Both formulations can be used interchangeably without any safety or effectiveness concerns. Check with your healthcare provider about which formulation they carry if you are concerned about any of the ingredients.
Ingredients in the original Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 12 years and older
The original Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 12 years and older contains the following ingredients:
Ingredients in children’s Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the updated formulation for people ages 12 years and older
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 5 through 11 years old and the updated formulation of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 12 years and older contain the following ingredients. While the ingredients are the same for all ages, people ages 12 years and older receive a higher dosage than children ages 5 through 11 years old.
Ingredients that are NOT used in COVID-19 vaccines
The above table lists ALL ingredients in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. There are NO ingredients in this vaccine beyond what is listed in the table. The Pfizer-BioNTech 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
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: General information, schedule, and administration overview.