How can I get the COVID-19 vaccination?

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and free. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares the following:

• COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing you from getting sick. COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death.
• Getting vaccinated is the best way to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
• Side effects after a COVID-19 vaccine are common, however severe allergic reactions after getting a COVID-19 vaccine are rare.
• CDC recommends that everyone who is eligible stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, including people with weakened immune systems.

Vaccine eligibility: 

• Everyone aged 6 years and older should get 1 updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date.
• People aged 65 years and older may get a 2nd dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
• People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
• Children aged 6 months–5 years may need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date, including at least 1 dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, depending on the number of doses they’ve previously received and their age.
• COVID-19 vaccine recommendations will be updated as needed.

*According to the CDC: The updated (bivalent) boosters are called “bivalent” because they protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5. The virus that causes COVID-19 has changed over time. The different versions of the virus that have developed over time are called variants. Learn more about variants of the COVID-19 virus.

Where to get a vaccine: 

• Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233.
• You can make an appointment at a COVID vaccine site or pharmacy through SF.gov, here. 
• You can check with your healthcare provider to see if they have appointments. 
  • • Dignity Health  
    • Kaiser Permanente 
    • Sutter Health 
    • UCSF Health 

• When making an appointment or arriving for vaccination, you can let staff and/or volunteers know you or your child might need some accommodations.
• People with disabilities can use the COVID-19 Vaccine Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) to get help with COVID-19 vaccinations.