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Pediatricians should encourage families to enroll adolescents who have received COVID-19 vaccine in v-safe at http://cdc.gov/vsafe.
V-safe is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
V-safe can quickly tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about any side effects after vaccination. Depending on answers to web surveys, someone from the CDC may call the individual to check in and request more information. Completing health surveys is encouraged even if vaccinated individuals feel well and have no side effects.
Parents and guardians can enroll adolescents ages 12 and older in v-safe and complete health check-ins on their behalf after vaccination. A separate v-safe registration should be completed for each adolescent. All v-safe communications are sent to the parent or guardian’s smartphone.
To register, the vaccinated individual (or their parent/guardian) uses a smartphone to provide their name, mobile number and other requested information. Next, the person receives a text message with a verification code on their smartphone. They enter the code in v-safe and click “Verify.” The participant selects which COVID-19 vaccine was received and enters the date of vaccination. The first week after receiving the vaccine, v-safe will send a text message each day. After the first week, participants receive check-in messages weekly for up to five weeks. Questions take less than 5 minutes to answer.
Participants who need a second dose will receive a new six-week check-in process and can share their second-dose vaccine experiences as well. Three-, six-, and 12-month check-ins will be sent after the final dose.
To download, print or share v-safe posters and handouts (in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese), visit http://bit.ly/cdcvsaferesources.
