COVID-19 Vaccine Resources
Vaccination Information from State of MA
Massachusetts COVID-19 Vaccine Info
People age 5 and older who live, work, or study in Massachusetts can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Boosters are also now recommended for anyone who received a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine at least 6-months ago, or who received the J&J vaccine at least 2-months ago. The vaccine is safe and effective. You don't need an ID or insurance to get it.
COVID-19 Vaccination Sites in Massachusetts
Click here to access the mass.gov webpage with location details.
Your need-to-know details about the COVID-19 Vaccine*
* This information was last updated 1/23/21 and applies to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
It is SAFE
The available COVID-19 vaccines are approved and recommended by the FDA and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices following standard testing and approval processes.
By prioritizing resources and efforts, the vaccines were developed quickly and never at the expense of safety. For more on vaccine safety visit mass.gov/COVIDVaccineSafety
It is FREE
The COVID-19 vaccine is being administered free of charge to all individuals by the federal government.
Insurance information may be asked for by those administering the vaccine in order to bill-back to insurance. However, you will not be charged. If you do not have insurance, you are still eligible to receive the vaccine free of charge.
You need TWO doses to be FULLY vaccinated
Until you are fully vaccinated, you can still contract and spread COVID-19.
Not everyone will be vaccinated when you are. And while we know it dramatically reduces severe cases and symptoms, we are still learning about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions. Continue to wear a mask, wash your hands, keep distance and avoid groups between doses and even after your second dose.
Your two doses need to be administered from the SAME SITE
You must receive your second dose of the same vaccine at the same site as your first.
Pfizer vaccine: 21 days following first dose
Moderna vaccine: 28 days following first dose
Before leaving your first dose appointment, schedule or confirm how to setup your next appointment.
Vaccine Facts
COVID-19 Facts Flyer
Article: Not Sure About the COVID-19 Vaccine? Get the Facts, Then Decide
CDC Article: Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
Facts about COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines
They cannot give someone COVID-19.
mRNA vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19.
They do not affect or interact with our DNA in any way.
mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA (genetic material) is kept.
The cell breaks down and gets rid of the mRNA soon after it is finished using the instructions.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Fact Sheet: Explaining Operation Warp Speed
OWS is a partnership among components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Department of Defense (DoD).
Protocols for the demonstration of safety and efficacy are being aligned, which will allow the trials to proceed more quickly, and the protocols for the trials will be overseen by the federal government, as opposed to traditional public-private partnerships, in which pharmaceutical companies decide on their own protocols. Rather than eliminating steps from traditional development timelines, steps will proceed simultaneously, such as starting manufacturing of the vaccine at industrial scale well before the demonstration of vaccine efficacy and safety as happens normally. This increases the financial risk, but not the product risk.