Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

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

See videos on:

• How to make your COVID-19 appointment online
• Adding a dependent or spouse to your account

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.

If you are 16 or 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.

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

The Health Department may call you if there is a certain clinic that needs people for a standby list. Please do not call the Health Department to be put on the standby list. If you made an appointment through the state registration system that is three weeks or more away, you may get a call to ask if you are interested in being on the standby list. The call may come from a Vermont number or may appear to come from another state. You will only need to answer “yes” or “no.” You will not be asked for your contact information or any other personal information since you are already in our system.

Read more about the standby list.

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.

bipoc Household focused clinics

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 have the option to get vaccinated at a BIPOC-focused community clinic.

• 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 BIPOC-focused community clinics led by partners in the Burlington area using the forms or phone numbers below. Or 
• You can make an appointment at a pharmacy (link is external). 

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, 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.

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.

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 choose to register for one of 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 by calling 855-722-7878. Press 1 if you need interpretation services.

Learn more about working toward equity

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

• you are a college or boarding school student, even if you do not intend to stay in Vermont for the summer or
• you moved to Vermont within the last 6 months with the intention of becoming a resident or
• you work in Vermont or
• you live part of the year in Vermont.

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. You can also schedule your own dose 2 appointment online or by calling 855-722-7878, but only after you go to 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 or go online to cancel or reschedule your appointment. 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. Some people have no side effects. 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: 

• After your vaccine, you can take pain relievers for any side effects you may have from the vaccine to help you feel better. Don't take them before you get the vaccine to prevent 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. 
• If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks of receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine immediately contact your health care provider.
• 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 in a private setting 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.
• You are required to wear a mask in indoor public spaces.

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 testing. 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 (Updated 4/23/21)
  Also Burmese, Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese will be available soon.

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.