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In early January, Vice President Kamala Harris rolled up her sleeve for a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on live television and said, "I want to encourage everyone to get the vaccine. It is relatively painless, it happens really quickly. It is safe," she said.
The shot itself might be relatively painless but figuring out who is eligible to get the COVID vaccine, how to register for the vaccine and finding out where to get a COVID vaccine shot is not so easy.
So far, more than 42 million vaccine doses have been administered as of February 7th. After a disastrous initial vaccine rollout, the Biden administration promised last week to ramp up vaccine delivery to states and announced that many pharmacy chains across the country will begin vaccinating eligible people beginning February 11th. The announcement came as the United States surpassed 26 million COVID infections and more than 462,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Who is eligible for the COVID vaccine?
The COVID vaccine is available in all 50 states and is being distributed in phases. Who can get the vaccine depends not just on what state you live in, but what county. Each state sets guidelines and counties and cities within the states execute the plan to varying degrees. All states are vaccinating health care workers and older residents, but the age to qualify varies by state.
For example, according to state health department websites:
- Arizona is vaccinating health care workers, teachers and residents over 65
- California is also vaccinating health care workers and some esssential workers, but not teachers
- Florida is prioritizing residents over 65 and healthcare workers
- Teachers over 50 in West Virginia can get a vaccine along with residents over 65
- Residents must be over 75 to be vaccinated in Hawaii
Confused? You’re not alone. To find an updated list of who can get the COVID vaccine, visit your state or county's health department website. The CDC has a tool on its website to find health departments by state. Although some sites have helpful, updated information with links to sign up for the vaccine, others are not as user-friendly. The New York Times has a handy and frequently updated list of who is eligible by state.
Where can I get the COVID vaccine?
Getting the COVID vaccine has been a logistical nightmare for some and a piece of cake for others. Cities and counties have set up mass vaccination sites at fairgrounds, sports stadium — even at Disneyland — as well as at hospitals, local pharmacies and grocery stores. To find out where you can get a COVID vaccine, visit your city or county website, or local media outlets for details.
Some vaccination sites offer drive-through service while others are walk-up only. Getting to a vaccination site can be difficult for people who live in rural areas, don’t have a car or can’t stand in line for hours waiting their turn.
I made an appointment for my mother at a drive-through location because I knew she wouldn’t be able to stand for hours. It was quick and efficient. However, my aunt went to a different drive-through location in the same county, waited for three hours even though she had an appointment, and the car in front of her ran out of gas. Be prepared before you go so you know what to expect.
But before you can get the vaccine, you have to sign up.
How do I register for the COVID vaccine?
Once you’ve determined that you or your family member is eligible to receive the vaccine, you have to make an appointment. Again, the state you live in determines how easy or difficult it is to register. In most cases you need a smart phone or a computer to sign up, patience and a lot of time in order to find an available appointment.
Once you visit your local state or county healthy department website, find out if it has an email list for vaccine updates and sign up for it! The same goes for local pharmacies, hospitals and health networks. Once you get an email or see a news report saying appointments are available, don’t wait to sign up. Because of limited supply, appoints fill up quickly. It took hours of refreshing my local COVID vaccine distribution website to get an appointment for my mom at a location 24 miles away from where we live in Los Angeles.
The Federal Government is working with states to help them distribute vaccines more efficiently, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said to the Washington Post on C-Span.
“You’re going to see much more involvement of the federal government in assisting than we saw in previous months when states, in so many respects, were left on their own,” he said.
Am I guaranteed a second dose of COVID vaccine?
The available vaccines, as of this writing, are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that require 2 doses administered weeks apart. Once you have been given the first vaccine, you should be guaranteed an appointment for the second dose. Or not. The Baltimore Sun called Maryland’s vaccine rollout the “Hunger Games of health care” because there may not be enough vaccine for people to get their second dose.
But for those that get the first vaccine, the second dose is imperative. You’re not fully protected until 2 weeks AFTER you get the second dose, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
