ROCHESTER, Minn. - Mayo Clinic health officials are providing insight into what it will be like to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it's ready.

The health giant says due to data from nearly 80,000 patients in COVID-19 trials doctors can say there have been no major side effects from getting the vaccine.

How it will work is patients will get two shots of one COVID-19 vaccine brand, 21 days apart.

If it’s a little more than 21 days health officials say that's nothing to worry about; just make sure it’s not too soon or too long.
Dr. Melanie Swift says the rate at which patients have mild side effects will likely be higher than a flu shot but that's nothing to be alarmed about.

Swift says to think about it as if you're training for a big fight.

She explained, “Your immune system needs to learn how to protect you from COVID. Think of the vaccine as a sparing partner. It's going to teach you how to respond but in the process your immune system gets a little bit of a work out. So, if you go gym and you work out and the next day your sore - it doesn't mean it wasn't an effective training session.”

In what may be disappointing news to some doctors say even if you get the vaccine in the coming months health officials are asking everyone to still mask-up and social distance.

That’s because there’s a 5% chance the vaccine isn’t effective and they want to protect the most vulnerable until everyone possible has COVID-19 antibodies.

During a press briefing Mayo Clinic also discussed how the vaccine will be distributed saying most people have assumed front line workers will be the first on the list and they’d be correct.

However, along with doctors and nurses anyone that cleans hospital rooms or serves food would also be among the first.

The second group of people are those who live in long-term care facilities. Then, after the first phase, the second phase will likely be patients with high risk health conditions and essential roles like law enforcement, firefighters and teachers.

When the vaccine becomes more widespreadly available in the coming months however Dr. Deepi Goyal says if you’re a patient at Mayo Clinic you should schedule through its patient portal instead of calling to make an appointment.

He explained, “Lines are going to be long because everyone is going to be calling to schedule those appointments so having access to the portal is going to be the most efficient way to schedule your vaccine when it becomes available.”

The youngest you can be to receive a vaccine is 18-years-old but there are ongoing trials to approve a vaccine for children.

The current trials included patients from 18-56.