Vaccination is considered one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20^th century, improving quality of life and decreasing severity of disease. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic precipitated international collaboration to produce vaccines on a global scale. However, challenges have arisen in ensuring lasting immunity for high-risk individuals, people with weakened immune systems and patients with chronic diseases. In addition, the disruption of the health care system widened existing health inequities and public health information was produced too quickly for communities to remain abreast of the research. The intent of this brief is to clarify the complexity of the vaccines and combat the spread of misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.