Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

Vermont has decided to pause Johnson & Johnson vaccinations due to CDC and FDA recommendation after six reported cases out of 6.8 million doses in the U.S. of a severe type of blood clot. While this issue appeared in a small number of people, the CDC and FDA are committed to vaccine safety and transparency every step of the way. This pause will give the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of medical and public health experts, time to review all available data and make recommendations.

ACIP met yesterday and is holding any decision on lifting the pause until they get more information. They will meet again next week.

If you made an appointment with CVS or Walgreens, follow the pharmacies’ instructions about rescheduling. If you prefer to make a new appointment through the state registration system, you can call the Health Department. Please be sure you have only one appointment scheduled.

It is common to experience some temporary side effects shortly after vaccination, such as headache, muscle aches, chills, fever. However, if you received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine within the past month and are experiencing severe headache, abdominal or leg pain, or shortness of breath – contact your health care provider and seek treatment right away. These symptoms don’t occur immediately after vaccination.

Get more details about why the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is being paused. 

Make an appointment anywhere. No passcode is needed.

If you are 16-17 years old, you will only see appointments for the Pfizer vaccine since that is the only vaccine that is authorized for people age 16 and 17. 

For the state appointment system and appointments made through CVS, your parent or guardian will need to review the consent forms and check the box giving their consent for you to get the vaccine. Your parent or guardian does not need to go with you to your appointment.

Kinney and Walgreens require a parent or guardian to be present and give consent at the appointment.

Read more about what people 16-17 years old need to know about getting a vaccine.

Get answers to other appointment setting questions.

Make an appointment anywhere. No passcode is needed.

high-risk health conditions included in this Group

• Current cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis
• Heart disease, including heart attack, heart failure, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease (angina, acute and chronic ischemic heart disease), cardiomyopathies, and pulmonary hypertension. Does NOT include high blood pressure.
• Immunocompromised (weakened immune system), due to solid organ transplant, blood, or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, or other causes; or HIV with a low CD4 cell count or not on HIV treatment; prolonged use of corticosteroids or other immune-suppressing drugs.
• Severe obesity (BMI of 40 or above) BMI calculator
• Pregnancy
• Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
• Disabilities including chromosomal disorders, such as Down syndrome; intellectual disabilities (IQ of 70 or below); disabilities that compromise lung function (neurologic and muscular conditions such as muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, cystic fibrosis, and multiple sclerosis).
• Sickle cell disease

As of March 31, parents and primary caregivers of children with high-risk health conditions who are too young to get vaccinated are included in this group.

Read descriptions of the high-risk health conditions

Descriptions in नेपाली (Nepali)     العربية (Arabic)     Soomaali (Somali)     Español (Spanish)     Swahili     Kirundi     မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)     Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)     Français (French)

Overview of Process for people with high-risk health conditions

You do not need to contact your health care provider to get documentation of the condition.

You will make an appointment in our system in the same way as Vermonters who have been eligible by age. You do not need a passcode. You can watch a video for help making an appointment.

You will be asked some questions. First, you will say that you have one of the health conditions that makes you eligible for a vaccine. This will serve as a self-certification. We trust you to work with us and help make sure that these Vermonters at highest risk due to a medical condition are protected.

When making your appointment, you will also be asked to provide information for a health care provider you see for the condition, if you have one. But if you don’t have a health care provider, you can still get a vaccine.

The Health Department may use the information you provided to confirm your eligibility, either through medical records or by contacting your provider. We may also reach out to people who don’t have a provider to offer a connection to care.

 

Make an appointment anywhere. No passcode is needed.

If you live in another state, you can still get a vaccine in Vermont if:

• you work in an occupation or setting in Vermont that is currently eligible.
• you moved to Vermont within the last 6 months with the intention of becoming a resident and are in an age group, occupation or another group that is currently eligible.

Make an appointment anywhere. No passcode is needed.

Parents and primary caregivers of children with high-risk health conditions who are too young to get vaccinated are eligible to be vaccinated. This will help ensure these parents and caregivers remain healthy enough to care for their child and lower their risk for bringing the virus into the home.

high-risk health conditions included in this Group

• Current cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis
• Heart disease, including heart attack, heart failure, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease (angina, acute and chronic ischemic heart disease), cardiomyopathies, and pulmonary hypertension. Does NOT include high blood pressure.
• Immunocompromised (weakened immune system), due to solid organ transplant, blood, or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, or other causes; or HIV with a low CD4 cell count or not on HIV treatment; prolonged use of corticosteroids or other immune-suppressing drugs.
• Severe obesity (BMI of 40 or above) BMI calculator
• Pregnancy
• Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
• Disabilities including chromosomal disorders, such as Down syndrome; intellectual disabilities (IQ of 70 or below); disabilities that compromise lung function (neurologic and muscular conditions such as muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, cystic fibrosis, and multiple sclerosis).
• Sickle cell disease

NOTE: If you are newly eligible to get a vaccine for a reason other than your age (for example, parents of children with high-risk health conditions) you may need to answer a few new eligibility questions before making an appointment.

1. Log in to your account and click on the "Dependent/Spouse" tab.
2. Click on "UPDATE DETAILS" for the person who needs an appointment, check the consent box and update your information.

Read descriptions of the high-risk health conditions

Descriptions in नेपाली (Nepali)     العربية (Arabic)     Soomaali (Somali)     Español (Spanish)     Swahili     Kirundi     မြန်မာစာ (Burmese)     Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)     Français (French)

 

Household Members of BIPOC Vermonters

If you or anyone in your household identifies as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC), including anyone with Abenaki or other First Nations heritage, all household members who are 16 years or older can sign up to get a vaccine.

• You can make an make an appointment online at community vaccination sites or by calling the Health Department at 855-722-7878. Or
• You can make an appointment at a pharmacy. Or
• You can make an appointment at BIPOC-focused community clinics led by partners around the state using the forms or phone numbers below.

NOTE: If you are newly eligible to get a vaccine for a reason other than your age (for example, BIPOC Vermonters) you may need to answer a few new eligibility questions before making an appointment.

1. Log in to your account and click on the "Dependent/Spouse" tab.
2. Click on "UPDATE DETAILS" for the person who needs an appointment, check the consent box and update your information.

BIPOC Household Focused Clinics

The BIPOC household focused clinics led by the Windham County NAACP (link is external)in Brattleboro, Bennington and Rutland and the Racial Justice Alliance (link is external) and the Vermont Professionals of Color Network (link is external) in Burlington will continue for eligible BIPOC members and their households who would prefer to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic that is dedicated to this community.

In Northern Vermont

To sign up in the Burlington area, please fill out the Burlington BIPOC COVID Vaccination form (link is external) coordinated by the VT Racial Justice Alliance, The Black Perspective, the New Alpha Ministry Baptist Church, the UVM VT LEND Program (link is external), and the Vermont Professionals of Color Network. If you prefer to schedule your appointment by phone, you can contact the Burlington Resource and Recovery Center at 802-755-7239.

In Southern Vermont

To sign up in the Brattleboro, Bennington or Rutland area, please fill out the BIPOC COVID Vaccination form (link is external) created and administered by the Windham County NAACP. If you prefer to schedule your appointment by phone, you can contact Wichie Artu, Vice President of the NAACP of Windham County, at vicepresident@windhamnaacp.org or 802-297-7832.

NOTE: Due to vaccine type, you must be at least 18 years old to be vaccinated at this Brattleboro clinic.

Learn more about working toward equity

There are community-specific clinics for people who are English language learners or immigrant/refugee community members. If you are age 16 or older, you can register for one of these clinics if someone in your household is eligible to get the vaccine (by age, health condition, job or setting).

If the eligible member of your household has already been vaccinated, your household is still eligible to register for these clinics.

Please call the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) at (802) 985-3106 or the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants of Vermont (USCRI VT) at (802) 655-1963 to register.

If you are eligible for vaccination, you can also make an appointment for yourself only by calling 855-722-7878. Press 1 if you need interpretation services.

Learn more about working toward equity

Call the Health Department to be screened for eligibility and make an appointment. Call 855-722-7878.

If you have received a passcode from your local hospital, you can use that to make an appointment online. Not all hospitals are distributing passcodes.

No passcode is needed at Kinney Drugs, CVS (link is external) or Walgreens.

Health care personnel and long-term care residents include:

• Health care personnel (health care personnel comprise clinical staff members, including nursing or medical assistants and support staff (e.g., those who work in food and environmental services)). Read the policy for Phase 1A vaccination eligibility.
• Residents of long-term care facilities (skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities) Vaccination may be offered first to residents and health care personnel in skilled nursing facilities because of health care personnel's high likelihood to be exposed to COVID-19 patients and long-term care residents (health care personnel are clinical staff members, including nursing or medical assistants). Learn more about vaccines for long-term care facility residents and staff.

The Vermont Vaccine Implementation Advisory Committee has specified that "health care personnel" includes:

• Long-term care staff* who see patients in person
• Health care providers (all classes including students and support personnel), primarily but not exclusively located in the Emergency Departments and Intensive Care Units, providing in-person care to patients with COVID-19
• Emergency Medical Services personnel** who see patients in person
• Home health care clinical staff and caregivers who see multiple patients in person or who are high-risk for serious illness from COVID-19
• Any other health care providers and staff who see patients in person

*Staff includes all health care providers who enter the facility, regardless of who employs them, as well as ancillary staff. Family caregivers are not included in this definition.

**Emergency medical service personnel and responders include staff within ambulance or rescue squads, fire or police departments, who respond to emergency calls to provide or assist with care or transport for, or access to, sick or injured persons.

Call the Health Department to be screened for eligibility and make an appointment. Call 855-722-7878. You can also contact Kinney Drugs, CVS or Walgreens for an appointment.

Expanded public safety personnel are employees and members of fire, EMS, and police emergency response organizations and employees of the Department of Corrections who work in correctional facilities. Employees include: command, administrative, and communications staff. This does not include contractors/ auxiliary members.

You will receive a passcode when your school leadership or the Department for Children and Families contacts you. Then make an appointment anywhere.

The following school staff are eligible for vaccination.

• All staff who work in Vermont PreK-12 schools including those currently working remotely. All staff includes teachers, paraeducators, administrative assistants, athletic coaches, food service staff, bus drivers and custodians.
• Contractors who work regularly in a school setting, such as food service staff and bus drivers.
• District office staff whose offices are in a school building or whose work requires them to have regular, in-person contact with students.
• Student teachers with classroom assignments during the spring semester.
• Substitute teachers who have worked or who will work for your district or school as a substitute teacher during the 2020-2021 school year.
• Staff who live out of state who work in a Vermont school are eligible for vaccination

See details about voluntary vaccination of people working in regulated child care, preschool and afterschool programs.

Please make only one appointment per person at a time. If you don't show up to your appointment vaccine may be spoiled. 

You'll be asked to give:

• name (you do not need to show identification)
• date of birth
• address
• email address, if you have one
• phone number
• primary insurance information (insurance is not required)
  
  There is no cost to get the vaccine.

You will also be asked some medical questions about whether you:

• have any history of allergic reaction to vaccines or injectable therapies
• are currently sick with COVID-19
• have recently had any other vaccines
• have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood thinners
• are breastfeeding or lactating

See Tips for Making a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment

Homebound means you are not able to leave your home for scheduled medical or non-medical appointments. If you are currently eligible to get the vaccine and are homebound, you will be able to get the vaccine in your home.

• If you are in the service of a local home health agency, the agency will reach out to you to schedule an appointment.
• If you are not in the service of a home health agency, you may request an appointment by calling 802-863-7240 (toll-free 833-722-0860) Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

People 16, 17 or 18 years old will be able to make appointments starting at 10:00 on Saturday, April 17. 

People 16 years and older will be able to make appointments online starting at 6:00 a.m. on April 19. The call center opens at 8:15 a.m. to make an appointment by phone.

On April 30, Vermont expects to open vaccine registration to college students who are residents of another state and do not intend to stay in Vermont for the summer, as well as people who live part of the year in Vermont. This will be based on the vaccine supply we receive from the federal government.

You can set up an account now, so you'll be ready to make an appointment when your turn comes.

Sign up for our weekly COVID-19 updates and stay up-to-date on who is eligible next

Talk with your health care provider if you've had an immediate allergic reaction to any other vaccine, injectable therapy, or polysorbate, or if you have questions about whether getting the vaccine is right for you because of health conditions, allergies, or other vaccines you've received recently.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two doses for you to be fully protected against COVID-19. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single-dose vaccine.

• If you get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, you should get the dose 2 about 21 days after the dose 1.
• If you get the Moderna vaccine, you should get the dose 2 about 28 days after the dose 1. 

If you miss your second dose, please get it as soon as you can.

Find out why you need two doses

Making a second dose appointment

If you make your appointment through the Health Department website and are getting a vaccine that requires two doses, clinic staff will schedule your dose 2 appointment before you leave your dose 1 appointment.

If you make your appointment with a pharmacy partner that has their own appointment website, they may do things a bit differently:

• Kinney Drugs schedules second dose appointments at the first dose appointment.
• CVS allows you to schedule first and second doses at the same time. Or you can schedule only dose 2. Your dose 1 doesn’t have to be from CVS. You will need select which vaccine you got for dose 1 to make sure you get same vaccine type for dose 2.
• Walgreens allows you to schedule dose 1 and dose 2 at the same time, but only if dose 2 appointments are available. Otherwise, neither dose appointments can be schedule. Or you can just schedule dose 2 and you will need select which vaccine you got for dose 1 to make sure you get same vaccine type for dose 2.

Keep your second dose appointment

We urge you not to cancel your dose 2 appointment unless it is absolutely necessary, like an injury or illness. This will help make sure you get your second dose with the same vaccine and on the recommended schedule. If you reschedule your dose 2 appointment, you may need to wait longer or travel farther than you prefer. Also, cancellations and unplanned no-shows could cause the vaccine to be spoiled.

If you made your appointment through the Health Department and you must cancel or reschedule, call 855-722-7878. You won’t be able to cancel or reschedule your dose 2 appointment until it is 3 days before your scheduled appointment.

If you made your appointment at a pharmacy through their appointment website, contact the pharmacy.

What should I know about side effects?

Side effects from the vaccine are normal signs that your body is building protection against COVID-19. They might even affect your daily activities but should go away in a few days. Common side effects are:

• Pain, swelling or redness on the arm where you got the shot 
• Tiredness 
• Headache 
• Chills 
• Muscle or joint pain 
• Fever 
• Nausea or vomiting 

What to do about side effects: 

• Call your health care or vaccine provider if side effects are worrying you or if they don’t go away after a few days.  
• You can use V-safe to tell the CDC about any side effects and to get reminders for your second dose. V-safe is an optional smartphone tool that uses text messages and web surveys to provide personalized check-ins. If you don’t have a smart phone, a family member can sign up for you. Learn more and register at cdc.gov/vsafe (Available in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese or Korean).
• If you have a bad reaction after getting vaccinated, you or your health care provider can report it to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Call 1-800-822-7967 or go to vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.html.

You are fully vaccinated 14 days after your final shot. All guidance on this page is for fully-vaccinated people. Until you are fully vaccinated, you should follow the same guidance as unvaccinated people. 

Health care settings may follow separate guidance. Read CDC's guidance for health care workers. 

Continue Prevention

Continue taking steps to prevent COVID-19, except as described below. You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should call your health care provider to get tested and stay home and away from others.

The vaccine protects you from illness, but we don’t know for sure if you can give the virus to someone else. Some studies suggest that a person who is vaccinated is less likely to infect other people with the COVID-19 virus. Until enough people are vaccinated and we know more, it is important to continue to follow prevention steps and continue to wear a mask, keep 6 feet apart, and wash your hands.

Gathering with Others

The following guidance only applies in non-health care settings.

• You may gather with other fully-vaccinated people without wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart.
• You may also gather with unvaccinated people from one household indoors without wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart, as long as everyone in that household is at low risk for severe COVID-19.

If you gather with people from more than one unvaccinated household, or with someone who is at higher risk of severe COVID-19 or lives with someon at higher risk, everyone should wear a mask and stay a 6-feet apart. See details on gathering restrictions in Vermont.

Read CDC's guidance for health care workers

Travel

You may travel to or return to Vermont without quarantine. Find out more about travel, including staying in someone's home.

Close Contact of Someone with COVID-19

If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, as long as you do not have symptoms and are not in a health care setting:

• You do not need to seek testing.
• You do not need to quarantine.

• Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Factsheet
  Also in Arabic, Burmese, French, Kirundi, Nepali, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Vietnamese
• Moderna Vaccine Factsheet
  Also in Arabic, Burmese, French, Kirundi, Nepali, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Vietnamese
• Johnson & Johnson Factsheet
  Also in Burmese, Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese

This map shows the general areas where vaccination sites are located, not actual locations. When you schedule your appointment you will get the address of the vaccination site you chose.