Should I skip my COVID-19 vaccine appointment if I have cold-like symptoms?

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America is forging ahead in its COVID-19 vaccination effort, with White House officials saying Friday that 100 million citizens are now fully vaccinated against the novel disease. For those who have yet to receive the vaccine, or have an upcoming appointment to get it, you may be wondering: should I reschedule my vaccine appointment if I’m having cold-like symptoms? 

In its pre-vaccination checklist, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says "mild illnesses are NOT [a] contraindication to vaccination." In other words, the federal agency does not consider mild illness to be a reason for a patient to not receive the vaccine at this time. 

"I think if people are having mild symptoms, especially no fever, it's OK to go ahead and get the shot," Dr. John Whyte, the chief medical officer of the healthcare website WebMD, told Fox News in an email. 

That said, "sometimes symptoms of colds and COVID can be hard to distinguish, so you might actually want to get a COVID test to make sure you don't have COVID," he suggested. 

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Indeed, "in the current environment where there’s so much COVID still being spread, wait until your illness has resolved, just to be safe," Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist, and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, recently said.

For those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and were treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, CDC recommends waiting 90 days before getting the vaccine. 

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"The good news," however, "is right now, there is a lot of vaccine supply so if you have to delay it a few days, it shouldn't be difficult to reschedule. And in many cities, you can just walk right in," added Whyte.