Please see the Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine (Vaccination Providers) for dosage preparation and administration.
Does the vaccine contain live virus?
No, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine does not contain SARS-CoV-2 and cannot give you COVID-19.
How many doses are in each diluted vial?
After dilution, vials of
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine contain six doses of
0.3 mL of vaccine. Low dead-volume (LDV) syringes and/or needles can be used to extract six doses from a single vial. If standard syringes and needles are used, there may not be sufficient volume to extract a sixth dose from a single vial. Irrespective of the type of syringe and needle:
Each dose must contain 0.3 mL of vaccine
If the amount of vaccine remaining in the vial cannot provide a full dose of 0.3 mL, discard the vial and any excess volume
Do not pool excess vaccine from multiple vials
What are the ingredients included in the vaccine?
The ingredients in a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine are 30 mcg of a nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, lipids (0.43 mg (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), 0.05 mg 2[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 0.09 mg 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and 0.2 mg cholesterol), 0.01 mg potassium chloride, 0.01 mg monobasic potassium phosphate, 0.36 mg sodium chloride, 0.07 mg dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate, and 6 mg sucrose. The diluent (0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP) contributes an additional 2.16 mg sodium chloride per dose.
Can I give the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine at the same time as other vaccines?
There is no information on the co-administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine with other vaccines.
How do I prepare the dose?
Please see the
Dosing & Administration section of this website for instructions on how to prepare the
Pfizer-BioNTech
COVID-19 Vaccine.
What syringes should I use for diluting?
A 3 mL syringe should be used for diluent withdrawal and mixing. A 5 mL syringe is also acceptable. Please see the
Dosing & Administration section for instructions on vaccine preparation.
What syringes and needles should I use for administration?
Use a 1 mL syringe. Low
dead-volume syringes and/or needles should be used. If standard syringes and needles are used, there may not be sufficient volume to extract a sixth dose from a single vial. If a low dead-volume syringe is not available a standard 1 mL syringe may be used. Please see the
Dosing & Administration section for instructions on vaccine administration.
What is the dosing schedule for the vaccine?
The vaccine is given as a series of 2 doses 3 weeks apart. Please see the
Dosing & Administration section for instructions on preparation, administration, and adverse event reporting requirements, as well as
Safety Information for the vaccine.
Are COVID-19 vaccines interchangeable?
There are no data available on the interchangeability of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine with other COVID-19 vaccines to complete the vaccination series. Individuals who have received one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine should receive a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to complete the vaccination series.
What if the second dose cannot be provided at 3 weeks (21 days)?