New Jersey has now officially surpassed one million first-dose COVID-vaccinations. I hope you share my confidence that we are well on our way to providing everyone in New Jersey a vaccine—who wants one—as more supply continues to become available.

But just as quickly as the vaccine came to market, so have new questions and concerns. At Inspira Health, we are committed to being a trusted health care provider and resource to all. Recently, we learned of questions regarding the timing of women receiving both a vaccination and mammography screening. The COVID-19 vaccine can cause potential side effects of temporary swollen lymph nodes that could be misread during the mammography as a sign of breast cancer.

Mammogram screenings save lives. COVID-vaccines can also help save lives. Larry Neustadter, D.O., chair of the Inspira Department of Radiology, and Allison Lawyer, M.D., breast imaging specialist, emphasize that women should get both their mammograms and vaccines as quickly as possible—and when available—to reduce major health risks.

If you are due for a mammogram, try to schedule your appointment prior to your first vaccine dose. Rest assured, if you already received a COVID-vaccination prior to mammography, Inspira has the expertise and protocols in place for any findings. Inspira Health follows the Society for Breast Imaging guidelines.

This topic, and many others, were recently addressed at our Virtual Community Town Hall – Vaccines Part 2. We gathered our medical experts to present the latest information on the vaccines and we provided a live question-and-answer session. We will post that town hall’s recording on our website, inspirahealthnetwork.org/covid19. There, we also update information regarding COVID-19 testing, the vaccines, and current visitor guidelines at our facilities.