This video was provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). If you prefer to watch the video with English voiceover and captions, please watch the video with audio instead.

Descriptive transcript

[A man with dark mustache and short beard, wearing a dark shirt, stands in front of a black background on the right side of the screen. The right side of the screen is occupied by a slideshow, with slides changing during the video. The man signs during the entire video. The slide shows animation of an icon of a person in a yellow bubble. Dialogue bubbles slide in around the person’s circle. Icons inside the dialogue bubbles include question marks, COVID-19 germs, medicine containers, a clock.]

>> ASL Talent: You are probably hearing a lot of information about COVID-19 vaccines right now. We wanted to answer some common questions about how COVID-19 vaccines are being made.

[Slide slides up to a light blue blank slide with text in white: “How are COVID-19 vaccines being made faster?”]

>> ASL Talent: How are COVID-19 vaccines being made faster?

[New slide appears. A white progress bar line stretches over a yellow background. A black dot lies at the beginning of the white line. Text above the line: “Vaccine Testing”. A green check mark appears at the end of the bar line, and the line extends past it now in a darker color. Text above the section of new bar line: “Vaccine Production”. A new black dot marks the end of the bar line.]

>> ASL Talent: Usually, testing a vaccine to make sure it is safe and works is done before large amounts of vaccines are made.

[The two bar lines, the white section and the dark section separate and are now both starting together on the left side. Both lines grow towards the opposite end of the screen at the same time. A green check mark shows up at the end of both lines.]

>> ASL Talent: Because of the pandemic and money from the federal government, scientists are doing both at the same time. Only vaccines that have been tested and are shown to be safe will be used.

[New slide appears. Text on slide: “How are the vaccines being tested?”]

>> ASL Talent: How are the vaccines being tested?

[New slide appears. Three white circles on a green background. Inside each circle is one vial. All three vials showing different colors and styles.]

>> ASL Talent: There are several different COVID-19 vaccines in testing. These tests are called clinical trials. Each vaccine goes through more than one test.

[Two vial circles slide out of view, leaving one on the left side. Nine circles with icons of a person appear. All nine persons have different colored skin, hair, wardrobe, and backgrounds. The nine fade out to become a grid of nine by nine circles with different styled person icons. They fade out to become an even bigger grid of more person icons.]

>> ASL Talent: First, the vaccine is tested with a small group of volunteers, then a couple hundred, then tens of thousands of people. Volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trials come from many diverse communities and backgrounds. This is the same process used for testing other vaccines.

[New slide appears. Text on slide: “How will the vaccines get approved?”]

>> ASL Talent: How will the vaccines get approved?

[A vaccine bottle rests inside a white circle on a light background. Other circles containing different icons appear around the first one. The new circles contain an icon of a doctor or medical professional in each. A light colored line circles the vaccine bottle icon and connects to the other circles, creating a network. ]

>> ASL Talent: For the vaccines that make it past all the tests, a team of medical experts will look at test results and how people felt after they got the vaccine.

[A small green check mark appears on each circle containing a doctor or medical expert.]

>> ASL Talent: If the vaccine works and it’s safe, it gets approved.

[A final check mark appears on the vaccine bottle after all doctor circles.]

>> ASL Talent: There are many groups of scientists and experts that are reviewing the vaccine safety data for COVID-19 vaccines and making recommendations. Only approved vaccines will be given to people.

[New slide appears. Text on slide: “Who will get the vaccine first?”]

>> ASL Talent: Who will get the vaccine first?

[New slide appears. Four circles grouped in center. Each circle contains an icon of a professional-looking person. All four have different color skin, hair, wardrobe, and backgrounds. The group slides left as a website on a screen appears, showing info data and graphs. A magnifying glass hovers over the data.]

>> ASL Talent: A national advisory group for CDC looks at the data and makes recommendations for who should get the vaccine first.

[A group of eight circles appear in a cluster. All circles contain a person icon, of varying skin colors, hair colors, wardrobe, and backgrounds. Text lines appear next to two of the circles. Lines of text include the following:

Healthcare workers

People in Assisted Living facilities.]

>> ASL Talent: Some groups that are at highest risk for COVID-19 or could get very sick from COVID-19 will get the vaccine first. Minnesota has a team of experts who will help make sure vaccine is available to everyone fairly, with a focus on health equity.

[New slide appears. A row of vaccine bottles in the middle of screen with a light blue background. The bottles multiply to more rows of bottles, covering the screen.]

>> ASL Talent: As more vaccine becomes available, more people will be able to get vaccinated, but it will take several months before there is enough vaccine for everyone.

[New slide appears with logo for “Stay Safe MN”. Text underneath: “mn.gov/COVID19”.]

>> ASL Talent: For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine visit the health department’s website.