General information
Name: BNT162b2
Manufacturer: Pfizer, Inc., and BioNTech
Vaccine type: mRNA
Number of doses: 2 doses 21 days apart
Mode of administration: injection into the muscle of the upper arm
Does not contain: Eggs, Preservatives, Latex.
Who should get vaccinated?
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is recommended for people 16 years of age and older. Learn more about the CDC's recommendation process for the COVID-19 vaccine and who should get vaccinated sooner if supplies are limited.
Who should not get vaccinated?
If you have had a severe allergic reaction, also known as anaphylaxis, to any of the ingredients in the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, you should not get vaccinated. * Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and rare severe allergic reactions.
* If you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies, ask your doctor if you should receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Your doctor will help you determine if it is safe to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Side effects and safety
In the arm where you received the injectable vaccine:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Redness
In the rest of the body:
- Shaking chills
- Fatigue
- Headache
These side effects usually appear within a day or two after getting vaccinated. They can look like flu symptoms and may even affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.
Information on the effectiveness of the vaccine
Based on evidence from clinical trials, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 95% effective in preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in people with no evidence of prior infections.
CDC will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available about the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine under real-world conditions.
Demographic information from clinical trials
The Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine included people from the following racial and ethnic categories:
- 81,9 % white
- 26,2 % Hispanic/Latina
- 9,8 % African American
- 4,4 % Asian
- < 3 % of people of other races / ethnicities
Breakdown by age and sex:
- 50,6 % men
- 49,4 % women
- 21,4 % 65 years of age or older
The most common underlying conditions were obesity (35.1%), diabetes (8.4%), and lung disease (7.8%).