Safety is a top priority while federal partners work to make COVID-19 vaccines available to anyone recommended to get one. Safety is considered before any vaccine is recommended for use.

Learn more about how CDC and its partners are ensuring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety.html

CDC’s new v-safe tool uses text messages and surveys to check in with you after you get a COVID-19 vaccine. You can quickly tell CDC how you’re feeling and if you have any side effects. Get vaccinated, then:

• Go to vsafe.cdc.gov
• Click “Get started”
• Fill in all requested information
• Verify your smartphone
• Add your vaccine information
• Wait for your first check-in

Learn more about v-safe and how to register: https://bit.ly/3izTu0Z

We have a fun activity and science experiment you can try with your family. Along with the story behind it here at Nicholasville Nursing & Rehab.

As we reminisced on Valentine’s past and other times we’ve received flowers, our residents shared with each other their favorite flowers. Resident, Lynn Noe, shared that the Carnation was her favorite flower.

Lynn then asked the group – Do you know how they get all their bright colors?

We did not and Lynn, along with another resident who owned a florist, shared that this is done with food coloring.

We then asked – How long would it take to turn a color?

As an experiment, we decided to separate some of the white carnations into vases and added food coloring. We watched excitedly through the week’s end. After a few days, we discovered it worked! They noted that in the future they would leave the flowers in the color a bit longer.

Here are the instructions to try this flower experiment:

Color Changing Flowers

Instructions:

1. Trim down the stems of the flower so they fit your cups or glasses.
2. Add water to each cup.
3. Then put about 10-15 drops of food coloring in the water and stir around a bit.
4. Add at least one carnation to each glass of colored water.
5. Check-in on the flowers every couple of hours and observe any changes.

Tip: The longer the flowers stay in the color, the more vibrant the color will become.

We’re proud to share Ms. Debra’s experience here at Nicholasville Nursing and Rehabilitation.

Mrs. Debra arrived at Nicholasville Nursing and Rehab in November of 2020. She was a hoyer lift transfer at this time and had not walked in over 3 months. Thankfully, our skilled team was able to help!

Fast forward 2 months and she is now getting out of her bed and walking over 150 ft using a front wheeled walker!

She is happily preparing to return to her house with her husband and 16-year-old daughter. Way to go, Debra!!

COVID-19 vaccination helps keep you from getting COVID-19.
The vaccines currently available in the United States are effective at preventing COVID-19, according to clinical trials, and are important tools to stop the pandemic.
Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html

Q: How many people need to get a #COVID19 vaccine for herd immunity?

A: While experts don’t yet know how many people would need to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, vaccination is a safer way to build protection than getting sick.

For more FAQs, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html

Side effects after getting a #COVID19 vaccine are normal signs your body is building protection.

Side effects may even feel like flu and might affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.

Learn more about what to expect after getting vaccinated, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html

Even as vaccine distribution begin, we each need to do our part of prevent the spread of COVID-19. You should layer steps to help protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

• Wear a mask that covers your mouth AND nose.

• Stay at least 6 feet from people who don’t live with you, and avoid crowds.

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

• Get a COVID-19 vaccine when it is your turn.

Help slow the spread of COVID-19. Learn more:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

No. None of the authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines or COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19.

There are several different types of vaccines in development. All of them teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.

It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html

(Info from the CDC – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html)

All the COVID-19 vaccines being used have gone through rigorous studies to ensure they are as safe as possible. Systems that allow CDC to watch for safety issues are in place across the entire country.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines that have been shown to meet rigorous safety criteria and be effective as determined by data from the manufacturers and findings from large clinical trials. Watch a video describing the emergency use authorization. Clinical trials for all vaccines must first show they meet rigorous criteria for safety and effectiveness before any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines, can be authorized or approved for use. The known and potential benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine must outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine.