To schedule a vaccine appointment at Stanford Health Care, you must contact your primary care physician through MyHealth.

Many Stanford Health Care patients may have access to vaccine through commercial pharmacies or county resources beyond those offered by Stanford Health Care. We encourage you to get vaccinated where convenient and in the most safe and timely manner possible.

You can also check myturn.ca.gov to see if there are other vaccination sites with available appointments.

If you book an appointment with another provider and have an existing appointment at Stanford Health Care, please cancel your existing appointment. This will help open up our schedule and allow other people to book new appointments to be vaccinated.

Please visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website  for more information and resources about the COVID-19 vaccine. The website is hosted in multiple languages.

Please bring a form of identification to your vaccination.

MyHealth is your online account connected to SHC. To get the record of your COVID-19 vaccination:

• Log in to MyHealth with your username and password on a laptop or desktop.
• Click on "My Medical Record" and "Immunizations."
• Look for the printer icon and click it. Print out the information. 

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a COVID-19 vaccine to help keep everyone safe and reduce the severity of the illness.

• Children 6 months to 4 years will be given either 3 doses of the updated bivalent Pfizer vaccine or 2 doses of the updated bivalent Moderna vaccine.
• Children 5 years old will be given either 2 doses of the updated bivalent Moderna vaccine or 1 dose of the updated bivalent Pfizer vaccine.

Stanford Health Care only offers the updated bivalent Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The original monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for use in the United States.

Vaccines work by teaching our immune systems to fight against infections.  The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine uses an mRNA strategy to teach your body to target the surface of the virus. Both have shown to help your body protect against COVID-19.

The two vaccines being offered are all highly effective at protecting against severe forms of COVID-19 that can result in hospitalization or death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that mRNA vaccines are being held to the same rigorous safety and effectiveness standards as all other types of vaccines in the United States. The only COVID-19 vaccines the Food and Drug Administration will make available for use in the United States are those that meet these standards.

These vaccines have demonstrated equivalent vaccine efficacy across all racial and ethnic backgrounds. This will continue to be tracked over the next two years.

Stanford Medicine is encouraged by the high level of racial and ethnic diversity represented in the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials. Pfizer has stated that approximately 42% of its 44,392 participants in its global COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials have a diverse background. Moderna has reported that it recruited more than 11,000 people from communities of color — 37% of its cohort — as well as 7,000 people over the age of 65. The Moderna vaccine had 100% efficacy in those aged 65 and older, and 100% efficacy in communities of color.

Yes, the updated bivalent vaccine targets the the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

Stanford Medicine has access to all 3 vaccine manufacturers and can help you obtain J&J if necessary. Please discuss this with your healthcare provider to determine if you should receive a J&J dose.

There is some evidence that one dose of two-dose vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) can provide some protection against COVID-19 and is therefore better than not getting vaccinated at all. However, two doses of two-dose vaccines, given at the proper intervals, is still the U.S. recommendation. At this time, the CDC is also recommending a third shot for individuals with weak immune systems. Stanford Health Care will continue to follow CDC guidance for populations who may receive the booster dose. Please continue to check this website for updates.

Please remember that vaccines are just one of several tools to help end the pandemic. It is essential for everyone, including those who have been vaccinated, to continue using all the tools available to help stop the spread of infection, including covering mouth and nose with a mask, washing hands often, staying at least 6 feet away from others, testing when indicated, and following all guidance from state and county health officials.

As per CDC guidelines, COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 6 months and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.

Evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing. These data suggest that the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.

There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men.

Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people. Source: CDC

Stanford Medicine recommends that people who are pregnant or lactating discuss COVID-19 vaccination with their primary care physician if they are uncertain regarding vaccination.  

Yes. There is strong evidence that vaccination-induced immunity is significantly more protective than natural immunity. As the Delta variant continues to drive higher infection and death among the unvaccinated, vaccination is strongly recommended to ensure the safety of our community.

People with COVID-19 who have symptoms should wait to be vaccinated until they have recovered from their illness and have met the criteria for discontinuing isolation.

People who have tested positive for COVID-19 without symptoms should also wait until they meet the criteria for discontinuing isolation before getting vaccinated.

People who were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, or who were diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, should typically wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. (Source: CDC).

Stanford Medicine recommends that persons who have had COVID-19 in the last 90 days discuss COVID-19 vaccination with their primary care physician if they are uncertain regarding vaccination.  

Individuals who develop COVID-19 after the first dose may receive their vaccine after their symptoms resolve and they have met criteria to discontinue isolation per CDC guidelines or they may choose to defer their second dose up to six weeks (42 days) after their first dose without having to repeat the full two-dose sequence. (Source: CDC).

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older receive the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster, including:

• Most individuals, depending on age, who received the monovalent COVID-19 vaccine, but have not yet received a dose of a bivalent vaccine.
• Everyone 5+ who has had their primary series; the bivalent booster should be given at least 2 months after any COVID vaccine or booster dose.
• Adults aged 65 and older who have received a single dose of a bivalent vaccine may receive one additional dose at least four months following their initial bivalent dose.
• People who are immunocompromised who have received a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine may receive a single additional dose of a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months following a dose of a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. Additional doses may be administered at the discretion of their healthcare provider. However, for immunocompromised children 6 months through 4 years of age, eligibility for additional doses will depend on the vaccine previously received.
• Children 6 months and 5 years who have received the Moderna vaccine can get the updated Moderna booster.
• Children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years who have received all 3 doses of the monovalent Pfizer vaccine can get the updated Pfizer booster, at least 2 months after completing their primary series.

“Third doses” are different than a “booster dose.” A booster is an added dose of a vaccine that is given to someone with a healthy immune system who built enough protection after being fully vaccinated. If that protection gradually decreases, a booster can help sustain it. Third doses are provided to individuals with compromised immune systems for whom the original vaccine dose was not sufficient to achieve protection from the virus.

Yes, the COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine may be given at the same time.

Because of reports of anaphylactic reactions in persons who received the COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials, the CDC has proposed the following guidance:

• Persons who have had a severe allergic reaction to any vaccine or injectable therapy (intramuscular, intravenous, or subcutaneous) should not receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine at this time.
• Persons who have had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine should not get that specific vaccine.
• Vaccine providers should observe patients after vaccination to monitor for the occurrence of immediate adverse reactions:
  • Persons with a history of anaphylaxis: 30 minutes
  • All other persons: 15 minutes
• This recommendation does not apply to persons with other severe allergic reactions (for example: food allergies).

Stanford Medicine recommends that persons with a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions discuss COVID-19 vaccination with their primary care physician.  The CDC Interim Considerations document details more considerations.

• People who have completed their primary series and already received one dose off the bivalent vaccine.
• Children 6 months to 5 years who received the bivalent vaccine as their third shot in the primary series.