COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Last content update: 3/23/23
The COVID-19 Vaccines are safe, effective, and free to everyone ages 6 months and older
Regardless of immigration or insurance status.
New bivalent COVID-19 vaccines, also referred to as “updated COVID-19 boosters” or "Omicron boosters" are available for individuals ages 6 months and older. Everyone 6 months and older is recommended to get an updated bivalent vaccine dose, if eligible.
County-operated mass vaccination sites closed in February 2023.
San Jose (Fairgrounds) – Closed 2/25/23
San Martin – Closed 2/25/23
Mountain View – Closed 2/28/23
Have you received your updated COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccinations remain available through pharmacy/healthcare providers, Valley Specialty Center, and drop-in clinics.
Book an appointment:
Pharmacy/Healthcare Provider Valley Specialty Center Find a drop-in clinic
If you have COVID-19, you should wait to get vaccinated until symptoms are gone (if you had symptoms) and guidelines for ending isolation have been met. This applies to any COVID-19 vaccination, including boosters.
Individuals who have other moderate or severe acute illness should generally wait until symptoms are gone.
For more information, visit the CDC's Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.
COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
COVID-19 vaccinations are now available for children ages 6 months and older.
Parents and legal guardians can book an appointment or find a convenient drop-in location to vaccinate their child. Vaccines for children are smaller doses and are specially formulated for kids. Under federal guidelines, vaccine supplies designated for older patients cannot be used for this younger age group. Families are also encouraged to check with their primary care physician or their local pharmacy to see if they are offering vaccine appointments for children.
While COVID-19 infection tends to be milder in children compared to adults, it can make children very sick and cause hospitalization. In some situations, children can experience severe complications including death.
Bivalent Vaccines for Young Children
Bivalent vaccines are available for eligible children 6 months and older. The eligibility for bivalent vaccines will depend on the initial primary series started by children 6 months to 5 years old:
- Children ages 6 months through 4 years who completed a Moderna primary series are eligible to receive a single bivalent Moderna booster at least 2 months after completion of the primary series.
- Children who are 5 years old and completed a Moderna primary series are eligible to receive either a Pfizer bivalent booster (for ages 5-11) or the new bivalent Moderna booster (for ages 6 months to 5 years), at least 2 months after completion of the Moderna primary series.
- Children ages 6 months through 4 years old who have not completed their 3-dose Pfizer primary series should receive the monovalent Pfizer vaccine for doses 1 and 2, and the bivalent Pfizer vaccine for dose 3.
- Children ages 6 months through 4 years who have completed all 3 doses of their Pfizer primary series are not eligible for any bivalent vaccine at this time.
- Children who are 5 years old and completed a Pfizer primary series are eligible to receive a Pfizer bivalent booster (for ages 5-11).
For more information on topics like vaccine dosage, safety, or side effects in children, refer to the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Children and Teens and Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines webpages.
COVID-19 Boosters
The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department recommends all eligible members of the public who live or work in Santa Clara County receive an updated COVID-19 booster shot.
- Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 bivalent boosters can be administered at least 2 months after completion of the primary vaccination series or after receiving the most recent authorized booster dose.
- NOTE: Children ages 6 months through 4 years who received their 3-dose Pfizer primary series are not eligible for a bivalent booster at this time. For more information, see the CDC's Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines webpage.
- Novavax monovalent boosters are available for adults ages 18 and older who have not received any previous booster dose(s) and are unable/unwilling to receive a mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) bivalent booster. Novavax boosters can be administered 6 months after completion of a primary COVID-19 vaccine series.
Talk to your doctor today about your eligibility to receive a single dose COVID-19 bivalent booster.
For more information on boosters, see the CDC's Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines webpage or CDPH's COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Questions and Answers.
Additional Doses for Immunocompromised Patients
Additional Doses for immunocompromised patients who received Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson: Additional doses of the Pfizer and Moderna (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for patients who are at least 28 days from their final dose of a Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson primary series and who are moderately or severely immunocompromised.
Immunocompromised patients 6 months through 4 years who received the Pfizer vaccine are recommended to receive a 3-dose primary series (2 monovalent doses and 1 bivalent dose).
Immunocompromised patients 6 months and older who completed a Moderna primary series, and immunocompromised patients 5 years and older who completed a Pfizer primary series may receive an additional (third) dose of an age-appropriate monovalent Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least 28 days after their second dose. The additional dose should match the original vaccine series (for example, if you completed the Pfizer primary vaccine series, you will receive an additional dose of Pfizer). To ensure that you receive the correct vaccine, please bring a copy of your COVID-19 vaccine record to your appointment.
Immunocompromised patients ages 18 years and older who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine may receive an additional dose of the monovalent Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least 28 days later.
Patients who receive an additional dose should wait at least 2 months before receiving a bivalent booster.
At this time, additional doses have not been authorized for people who received the Novavax vaccine. If you are not sure whether you qualify for an additional dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, please consult with your physician.
Those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised (as defined by the CDC) qualify for an additional dose. Criteria include:
- Receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Received chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy (a treatment to help your immune system attach to and kill cancer cells) or received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich syndromes)
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., ≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, TNF blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory
For more information, see the CDC's COVID-19 Vaccines for People Who Are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised webpage.
COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment
Individuals who are eligible to be vaccinated are encouraged, but not required, to contact their healthcare system to make an appointment. Many providers below are able to vaccinate patients regardless of their regular healthcare provider.
Book an appointment with your provider or local pharmacy here.
If you do not have a healthcare provider, call the County's Patient Access Department at 1 (866) 967-4677.
Drop-In Vaccination Clinics (No Appointments Required)
Providers throughout the county have drop-in vaccination sites available. Sites offer accessible services for people with disabilities and those with other access or functional needs. If you need accommodation, alert the staff on site when you arrive.
The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department recommends all eligible members of the public who live or work in Santa Clara County receive a COVID-19 booster shot.
COVID-19 bivalent boosters are now approved for use at least 2 months following the completion of primary vaccination or after receiving the most recent authorized booster dose for all individuals ages 5 and older and for those ages 6 months to 5 years who received a primary series consisting of two Moderna COVID-19 shots.
There are several options for you to replace your CDC COVID-19 vaccination card:
- Individuals may request a vaccine verification from the state:
- Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/ (provides immediate results)
- California Immunization Registry: https://cairforms.cairweb.org/AuthorizationToRelease/AuthorizationToRelease (provides reports in 2-3 weeks)
- OR -
- If you were vaccinated by a healthcare provider, please contact the provider that administered the vaccine. You may also contact your regular primary healthcare provider for your vaccine record.
- OR -
- If individuals received their vaccine in California, they have the option to request their COVID-19 vaccine record in-person at the Public Health Department Travel/Immunization Clinic located at 976 Lenzen Ave. Suite #1100 San Jose, CA 95126, phone number: (408) 792-5200.
- You may also request a COVID-19 vaccine card by filling out the following form:
California Immunization Registry (CAIR) Authorization to Release Vaccination Information - You will receive an email notification when your COVID-19 vaccine card is ready to pick up at the Travel and Immunization Clinic.
- You may also request a COVID-19 vaccine card by filling out the following form:
Learn More About the Vaccines
For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, visit the CDC's Vaccines for COVID-19 webpage.
Fact Sheets issued by the U.S. federal government are also available:
- COVID-19 Novavax Vaccine Fact Sheet. Fact Sheet is available in additional languages.
- COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech Vaccine Fact Sheet. Fact Sheet is available in additional languages.
- COVID-19 Moderna Vaccine Fact Sheet. Fact Sheet is available in additional languages.
- COVID-19 Janssen/Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Fact Sheet. Fact Sheet is available in additional languages.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, visit the CDC's Vaccines for COVID-19 and Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination webpages.
Children can get sick from COVID-19. Some children get rare but severe complications from the COVID-19 virus. The vaccine is the best protection.
Vaccinated children will be able to participate in more activities and attend more events.
For more information, visit the CDC's Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.
Yes! All children ages 6 months and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Children with allergies to food or animals should get the COVID-19 vaccine. You can speak with a nurse at the clinic if you have concerns. If your child is sick with COVID-19 right now, they must wait until they get better to get the vaccine.
Yes. Having COVID-19 does not prevent your child from getting the virus again. Children who already had COVID-19 are less likely to get it again if they receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccines for children are smaller doses and are specially formulated for kids. For more information, visit the CDC's Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines webpage.
Studies found that the vaccine for children is safe and works well to protect children from COVID-19. Millions of children and teens have already received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, visit the CDC's COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Children and Teens webpage.
If your child has fever, headache, chills, or body aches soon after vaccination, they should stay home.
- If they are better within 48 hours, your child can go back to school.
- If they still feel sick longer than 48 hours, keep your child at home and talk to your child’s doctor to make sure they don’t have COVID-19 or another infection.
- Please remember, the vaccine can’t give your child COVID, but they could have been infected just before getting vaccinated.
For more information on topics like vaccine dosage, safety, or side effects in children, refer to the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Children and Teens and Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines webpages.
All individuals age 6 months and older are eligible to be vaccinated.
There are several options for you to get a record of your COVID vaccination:
- Individuals may request a vaccine verification from the state:
- Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/ (provides immediate results)
- California Immunization Registry: https://cairforms.cairweb.org/AuthorizationToRelease/AuthorizationToRelease (provides reports in 2-3 weeks)
OR
- If you were vaccinated by a healthcare provider, please contact the provider that administered the vaccine. You may also contact your regular primary healthcare provider for your vaccine record.
OR
- If individuals received their vaccine in California, they, have the option to request their COVID-19 vaccine record in-person at the Public Health Department Travel/Immunization Clinic located at 976 Lenzen Ave. Suite #1100 San Jose, CA 95126, phone number: (408) 792-5200.
All providers who receive COVID-19 vaccine supply from the federal government cannot charge you for the COVID-19 vaccine or require that you have health insurance. All options to book an appointment found on this webpage, including drop-in clinics, are free of charge.
If you do not have a healthcare provider, call the County's Patient Access Department at 1 (866) 967-4677.
Depending on where you receive the vaccine, you may or may not be given a choice of options. The County Health System offers either Pfizer or Moderna (2-dose mRNA vaccines) or Novavax (2-dose adjuvanted vaccine) at Valley Specialty Center.
All authorized COVID-19 vaccines were tested in large clinical trials with tens of thousands of volunteers of different ages, races, and ethnicities to ensure their safety and effectiveness. The FDA, CDC, and ACIP have all evaluated the trial information and determined the vaccines are safe, effective, and of high quality. These groups are continuing to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines to make sure even very rare side effects are identified and appropriate precautions are taken.
For more information, visit the CDC's Ensuring COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in the US webpage.
Patients with underlying medical conditions can receive the vaccine. In fact, it is important that this group be vaccinated because they are at increased risk of having severe COVID-19 illness. Immunocompromised individuals (for example, persons living with HIV, transplant recipients, and those taking immunosuppressive medications) may receive the COVID-19 vaccines. However, immunocompromised individuals should be counseled by their healthcare provider on the potential for reduced immune response to the vaccine and the need to continue to follow all current guidance to protect themselves against COVID-19 even after getting vaccinated.
For more information, visit the CDC's COVID-19 Vaccines for People Who Are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised webpage.
Yes. COVID-19 vaccines are safe for you and your baby.
- The vaccines protect expectant mothers. Individuals who get COVID-19 while pregnant are at increased risk of severe illness. The vaccine will keep you safer.
- If you are trying to get pregnant, the vaccine is also recommended for you. There is no evidence it affects fertility.
- COVID-19 vaccine is safe for the developing baby. Research suggests that getting vaccinated both protects mothers and also passes on antibodies to babies that better protect them.
- Vaccination helps avoid pregnancy complications. Pregnant people who get COVID-19 are at increased risk of pre-term delivery.
Talk to your doctor for more information about vaccines and pregnancy.
Almost everyone should get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Individuals with a history of allergic reactions that are not related to vaccines or injectable therapies may receive a COVID-19 vaccine. For example, people who are allergic to food, pets, venom, pollen, latex, or oral medications should get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Some people may be allergic to a component of one of the vaccines. Those individuals are usually recommended to receive a different type of COVID-19 vaccine. For example, people who cannot receive the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines may be recommended to receive the Novavax vaccine. If you know you are allergic to an ingredient in some of the vaccines, talk to a special kind of doctor called an Allergist-Immunologist before receiving the vaccine.
If you had a severe reaction to a different vaccine (not COVID-19) or injectable medication in the past, also talk to your doctor before getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 can be vaccinated once they have recovered and isolation guidelines have been met. However, because reinfection is less likely in the weeks after infection, they may consider delaying their next vaccine dose by 3 months from their symptom onset or positive test. This applies to any COVID-19 vaccination, including boosters.
For more information, visit the CDC's Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.
Clinical trials involving tens of thousands of individuals have demonstrated that the vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19. For more information, visit the CDC's Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.
Starting from two weeks after receiving the final dose in a one- or two-dose primary series.
Vaccine recipients commonly experience mild to moderate side effects that occur within the first three days of vaccination and resolve within 1-3 days of onset. These are normal signs that your body is building protection. Common side effects include mild to moderate pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site and/or mild to moderate flu-like symptoms (for example, fever, fatigue, headache, chills, muscle aches). Serious side effects are very rare.
Yes, but we have strong evidence that being vaccinated will decrease the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19.
It’s important to keep in mind that it typically takes a couple of weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it is possible a person could contract COVID-19 shortly after vaccination and get sick because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.
Yes. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that reinfection with COVID-19 is possible, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had a COVID-19 infection. You can receive a vaccine dose after you have recovered from acute illness and have completed your isolation period. Talk to your doctor if you have more questions about getting a vaccine. Experts do not yet know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19.
Note: Some healthcare organizations may prioritize for vaccination those who have not had a previous infection in the prior 90 days.
Yes. The CDC recommends that all persons who have been exposed to COVID-19 in the past be vaccinated.
People who have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 10 days may be vaccinated if they 1) do not have COVID-19 symptoms, 2) have not tested positive for COVID-19, and 3) follow CDPH’s post-exposure recommendations, including wearing a mask for 10 days post-exposure.
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