Don’t Miss Your Shot: Answering Your Questions About the COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccines for COVID-19 are becoming more widely available as eligibility continues to expand. Many trans/non-binary folks have questions about the vaccines: how do I sign up for an appointment? Where can I get vaccinated? Who can get vaccinated? What are the risks? How long will it last? What are the side effects? When will I be protected? What do I do with my vaccination card?

In this transition towards mass vaccinations during the pandemic, the choices we make to protect ourselves and others may change. Bring all of your vaccine-related questions to this Q&A session with Annie Lakatos, NP. Together, we will learn about vaccine eligibility, availability, safety, and much more.

Clicking on timestamps will redirect you to the corresponding video section on YouTube.

Introduction 0:00
About Annie Lakatos 2:49
Presentation overview 3:31
What to know about COVID-19 4:07
Available COVID-19 vaccines 5:55

How do the COVID-19 vaccines work? 7:22
Vaccine hesitancy 12:33
How do we know the vaccines are safe? 16:52
What about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? 18:47
Vaccine efficacy 20:49

Why should I get a COVID-19 vaccine? 22:40
What should you do? 24:43
Why you should care 26:25​
Vaccination resources 30:32

Q&A 32:06
How to find out about ID requirements? 33:19
How long after getting vaccinated are you protected? 36:04
Is it okay to get a second shot over 21 days from the first? 37:30
How long will the pandemic be around? 38:20

Can people with food allergies get vaccinated? 40:22
What can we do if partners aren’t vaccinated? 43:15
Should people who take/produce estrogen avoid the J&J vaccine? 50:41
What causes reactions to the vaccines? 52:57
How to reduce side effects? 54:08

Vaccine effects on menstrual cycles? 56:35
Should folks who got the J&J vaccine take extra precautions? 58:37
Do the vaccines protect against variants? 1:01:17
Should we stop deferring care? 1:02:32
How long are people immune after having COVID-19? 1:05:47

Navigating safety in public 1:08:56
Closing thoughts 1:13:11
Should folks avoid getting a mammogram after the vaccine? 1:14:43
What’s coming up? 1:15:29

FORGE informational events are focused on people in the trans/non-binary community(ies). Everyone is welcome – friends, family, loved ones.

Presenter: Annie Lakatos
Annie Lakatos has been a nurse practitioner since 2009 and works at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin in the Inclusion Health Clinic and the General Internal Medicine Clinic. She provides primary care, hormone replacement therapy and PrEP alongside preventive care and education. She is passionate about making each patient feel welcome and creating a space that is supportive and health-promoting for her patients.

Recorded on April 27, 2021.