Get the Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines

Introducing the UH Vaccine Playbook

The UH Vaccine Playbook is a free, downloadable guide designed to address the most important questions surrounding COVID-19 vaccines, including how they work, safety and effectiveness.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots

The CDC recommends booster shots with the new bivalent vaccine for all people ages 5 and older, at least two months after a previous COVID-19 vaccine. Please review the CDC's booster guidelines for details. 

If you are eligible for a booster, you may be able to choose which vaccine – Pfizer or Moderna – you receive as a booster dose. Some people may prefer the vaccine type that they originally received; others may prefer to get a different booster.

COVID-19 Boosters for People with Moderate to Severe Immunosuppression 

Vaccine recommendations may be different for immunocompromised people. The patient must have had a solid organ transplant or have been diagnosed with a condition considered to have an equivalent level of moderate to severe immune compromise:

• Active or recent treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Receipt of solid-organ or recent hematopoietic stem cell transplants
• Severe primary immunodeficiency
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers and other biologic agent that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory
• Chronic medical conditions such as asplenia and chronic renal disease that may be associated with varying degrees of immune deficit

Visit the CDC's website for additional vaccine and booster information for those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. 

COVID-19 Vaccines and Kids

Find out about the authorized vaccines, how they work, possible side effects and how your child can get vaccinated at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s.

Want To Learn More About the Coronavirus?

Check out our webpage for more information on how coronavirus spreads, its symptoms, and what you should do if you suspect you have coronavirus.

Concerned About Health Insurance or Immigration Status?

COVID-19 vaccines are 100 percent free for every individual who lives in the United States, even if you do not have insurance.

UH charges an administrative fee to cover the costs of administering the COVID-19 vaccine, which usually is paid for by insurance. When a patient is uninsured, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Uninsured Program pays the fee.

There is no charge to a patient for the vaccine.

In addition, everyone is eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine, whatever their immigration status. Vaccinations paid for by the federal government will not affect anyone’s immigration status and information will not be shared with immigration agencies, according to the HRSA.

You do not need to provide a Social Security Number or government ID to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

I Received the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine. Should I Be Concerned?

The CDC and FDA have lifted the temporary pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine and is again recommending its use.

However, women younger than age 50 should be aware of a rare but increased risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome with the vaccine, the CDC says. The CDC and FDA received reports of this rare and serious type of blood clot with low platelets that developed in six people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Nearly all were adult women younger than age 50.

The six cases developed out of nearly 7 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines that have been given across the United States.

The CDC recommends continued use of the vaccine after a review of the available data, which shows the vaccine's known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks.

If you got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than three weeks, ago, know that your risk of developing a blood clot is very low.

If you got this vaccine within the last three weeks, your risk of developing a blood clot also is very low. However, be on the lookout for possible symptoms of a blood clot:

• Severe headache
• Blurred vision
• Fainting
• Seizures
• Pain in your abdomen (chest or stomach)
• Leg pain or swelling
• Shortness of breath

Get medical care right away if you have any of these symptoms and got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine within the last few weeks. If you have any questions at all, call your health care provider.

I’ve Been Fully Vaccinated. Now What?

People who have been fully vaccinated can add back some activities that were stopped because of the pandemic. Other habits will need to be maintained for now to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

What does it mean to be fully vaccinated?

You’re fully vaccinated:

• Two weeks after your second dose of a two-dose vaccine, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• Two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Until the time that you are fully vaccinated, continue with these precautions:

• Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth
• Stay six feet away from others who don’t live with you
• Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer

In addition, if you’ve been fully vaccinated but then are around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.

Continue to watch for symptoms of COVID-19. If you develop symptoms, get tested and stay home and away from others.

You also will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.

More on COVID-19 Vaccines

Can I Get COVID-19 from a Vaccine?

What is in the COVID-19 vaccines? Infectious disease specialist Robert Salata, MD, describes how the vaccines work and why they contains no live coronavirus.

COVID-19, Pregnancy and Vaccines

Ellie Ragsdale, MD, discusses the effect that COVID-19 has on pregnancy and whether vaccines are safe for mothers and babies.