COVID-19 Vaccine Talking Points for Public Transportation Leaders

General considerations

Working in public transportation, we’re in a special position to help stop the spread of COVID-19 because we come into close contact with the public every day.

Everyone ages 6 months and older in the United States should get a COVID vaccine. We want our public transportation workers to be protected, and the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19, including from the Omicron variant.

For everyone’s safety, CDC recommends that everyone ages 2 and older—passengers and workers—wear a mask on public transportation and while in airports and stations. 

Vaccine readiness/confidence

Safety

The COVID-19 vaccines have undergone the most intensive vaccine safety monitoring in U.S. history.

Medical studies have shown that the vaccines are safe and that they work.

COVID-19 vaccines were authorized for the public after tens of thousands of volunteers took them safely during medical studies. Millions of people have already taken the vaccines.

None of the available COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. That means that the COVID-19 vaccines can’t make you sick with COVID.

COVID-19 vaccines are continuously monitored for safety and efficacy.

Effectiveness

All available COVID vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19, including from the Omicron variant.

To get the most protection from the vaccines, you need all the recommended doses for people your age.

Updated vaccines are available to help protect against Omicron.

Get an updated COVID vaccine now if you’re 18 or older and:

• You haven’t yet gotten a COVID vaccine.
• You’re vaccinated and your last dose was before September 2022.

People 65 and older can now get a second updated COVID vaccine beginning 4 months after their first.

People with a weakened immune system can get a second updated COVID vaccine beginning 2 months after their first.

If you recently had COVID, you can wait 3 months from when you got sick to get your updated COVID vaccine.

Novavax offers a booster dose of its COVID vaccine, but it doesn’t target Omicron. People 18 and older can get the extra Novavax dose if they’ve completed their primary vaccination series.

Side effects

Some people may experience side effects after getting vaccinated, but they are generally mild and last at most a few days. You might have pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where you got the shot, and you might experience feeling tired, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, or nausea.

Talk to your doctor about taking over-the-counter medicine like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin for any pain or discomfort you may have after getting vaccinated. Don’t take over-the-counter medicine before your vaccine appointment to try to prevent pain or discomfort.

Workplace safety measures

To stay safe, don’t let your guard down yet—stopping a pandemic means using all the tools available to us. Get vaccinated as soon as you can.

If you’re vaccinated and you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms. You should also wear a mask indoors in public for 10 days following exposure or until your test result is negative. If your test result is positive, you should isolate for at least 5 days and immediately notify your employer.

We know protecting yourself and others against COVID-19 in the workplace can be challenging in public transportation. Keep wearing a mask over your nose and mouth.

Try to stay the recommended minimum of 6 feet apart from customers and coworkers as often as you can.

Wash your hands frequently. If soap and water aren’t available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. If your workplace is running low on products such as soap and water or hand sanitizer, talk to your supervisor about getting more. Remember not to touch your nose, mouth, eyes, face, or food with unwashed hands.