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COVID-19 Vaccination

Click here for COVID-19 vaccination clinics

COVID-19 vaccines are now available to Marylanders 12+.

Need proof of your COVID-19 vaccination for travel, work, or other activities? Visit our VaccineCheck page.

For information on additional (3rd) shots for people who are immunocompromised, see the green box below.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. They can keep you from getting and spreading the disease, help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19, and may protect people around you, especially if they are at increased risk for severe illness. 

  • COVID-19 vaccines are free to everyone.
  • You cannot get COVID-19 from any of the vaccines.
  • These vaccines do not affect your DNA in any way.
  • They have very simple, common ingredients.
  • The vaccines were approved and produced quickly because:
    • mRNA vaccines have been in development for many years and are faster to make.
    • Some testing steps were done at the same time to collect data faster.
    • Governments invested enough money so companies could start producing vaccine doses early in the process, even before they were authorized for use.
    • COVID-19 was so widespread, it did not take long to see if the vaccine worked in study volunteers.
  • Long-term health problems are extremely unlikely following any vaccinations, including COVID-19.
  • Short-term side effects like pain in the arm where you received the shot, fatigue, aches, fever, and chills are normal signs that the body is building protection. They should go away in a few days.
  • Even if you have had COVID-19 or are at low risk from serious illness due to COVID-19, you should get vaccinated. The way individual people respond to COVID-19 illness is unpredictable and some people can get very sick and have long-term health effects from COVID.
  • If you had a severe or immediate allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine or any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get that vaccine. Talk with your doctor about allergies and other health conditions.
  • Not sure? Talk with your doctor and get more information from reliable sources (try .gov, .org, and .edu sites over .com sites). 

Three vaccines are approved for emergency use (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

Vaccine Brand Name

Type

Age group

Number of shots

When you are fully vaccinated

Pfizer-BioNTech

mRNA

12+

2 (2nd shot 3 weeks after 1st shot)

2 weeks after your 2nd shot

Moderna

mRNA

18+

2 (2nd shot 4 weeks after 1st shot)

2 weeks after your 2nd shot

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen

Viral vector

18+

1

2 weeks after your shot

It’s easy to find a vaccine. You can visit vaccines.gov and search by zip code or type of vaccine. For Health Department clinics, visit https://cchd.maryland.gov/registration-links/ or call 410-876-4848.

Learn more about the vaccines:

If you are fully vaccinated:

Additional doses for people who are immunocompromised

Currently, the CDC recommends that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive a 3rd dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine due to increased risk of serious, prolonged illness. New data shows that immunocompromised people who have low or no protection after the first 2 doses may have a better response after another dose of the same vaccine.

Immunocompromised people include people who:

  • Are receiving treatment for tumors or blood cancers
  • Received an organ transplant and take medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Received a stem cell transplant in the last 2 years and take medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Have syndromes that cause moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency ( DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich)
  • Have advanced or untreated HIV infection
  • Are taking high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response

The same mRNA vaccine should be used, at least 4 weeks after the 2nd dose of Moderna or Pfizer.

There is not enough data yet to determine whether immunocompromised people who received the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine would benefit from another dose.

If you are immunocompromised and received your 2nd dose of Pfizer or Moderna more than 28 days ago, you may register for an additional dose of the same vaccine at our clinics. You may also go to a pharmacy or your doctor.

**We recommend talking with your doctor to make sure an additional dose is right for you and what timing is best related to your medical treatment.

If you are not sure if you are immunocompromised, talk to your doctor.

If you have health conditions like diabetes or heart disease, look for more information coming soon on booster shots.

If you have questions or need assistance to register, please call us at 410-876-4848.

Please note:

  • The Health Department is currently offering all three COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S. at their vaccine clinics. Pre-register or walk in. COVID clinic page 
  • If you need assistance to register, please call our call center at 410-876-4848, Monday-Friday, 8 am – 5 pm. 

  • Si tiene 65 años o más o necesita ayuda para registrarse, llame a nuestro centro de llamadas al 410-876-4848, de lunes a viernes, de 8 a. M. A 5 p. M.

Other options for COVID-19 vaccination:

  • Visit https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/vaccine#locator or call 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829). 

  • LifeBridge Health

  • Pharmacies – search at the State of Maryland site or Vaccine Finder (can search by type of vaccine)

  • Your healthcare provider – more healthcare providers will be able to offer COVID-19 vaccines soon

 
cases are rising - wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart, avoid crowds, get vaccinated when it's your turn

Adverse Reactions to Vaccination

  • CDC recommends everyone 12 years and older get vaccinated as soon as possible to help protect against COVID-19 and the related, potentially severe complications that can occur from this disease.
  • CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other federal agencies are monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Adverse events are reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
  • Serious adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination are rare but may occur.
  • Reports of adverse events to VAERS following vaccination, including deaths, do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem.

Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination (CDC)

  • More than 177 million people have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, and CDC continues to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for any health problems that happen after vaccination.
  • Since April 2021, there have been more than a thousand reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) of cases of inflammation of the heart—called myocarditis and pericarditis—happening after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) in the United States.
  • These reports are rare, given the hundreds of millions of vaccine doses administered. View the latest information.
  • CDC and its partners are actively monitoring these reports.
  • Most patients who received care responded well to treatment and rest and quickly felt better.
  • Confirmed cases have occurred:
    • Mostly in male adolescents and young adults age 16 years or older
    • More often after getting the second dose than after the first dose of one of these two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines
    • Typically within several days after COVID-19 vaccination
  • Patients can usually return to their normal daily activities after their symptoms improve. They should speak with their doctor about return to exercise or sports.
  • CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12 years of age and older, given the risk of COVID-19 illness and related, possibly severe complications.
  • Getting vaccinated is the best way to help protect yourself and your family from COVID-19.

CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12 years of age and older, given the risk of COVID-19 illness and related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death. If you or your child has already gotten the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, it’s important to get the second dose unless a vaccination provider or your doctor tells you not to get it.

The known and potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis. Also, most patients with myocarditis and pericarditis who received care responded well to treatment and rest and quickly felt better.

If you have concerns about COVID-19 vaccination, talk with your or your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic.

Be on the lookout for any of the following symptoms:

  • Chest pain
  • Shortness of breath
  • Feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heart

Seek medical care if you think you or your child have any of these symptoms within a week after COVID-19 vaccination.

If you have any health problems after vaccination, report them to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine:

Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 vaccination is rare. As of July 12, 2021, more than 12.8 million doses of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine have been given in the United States. CDC and FDA identified 38 confirmed reports of people who got the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and later developed TTS. Women younger than 50 years old especially should be aware of the rare but increased risk of this adverse event. There are other COVID-19 vaccine options available for which this risk has not been seen. 

  • For three weeks after receiving the vaccine, you should be on the lookout for possible symptoms of a blood clot with low platelets. These include:
    • Severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision
    • Shortness of breath
    • Chest pain
    • Leg swelling
    • Persistent abdominal pain
    • Easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the injection site

Learn more about J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine and TTS

CDC and FDA are monitoring reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in people who have received the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. GBS is a rare disorder where the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. Most people fully recover from GBS, but some have permanent nerve damage. GBS can happen after other vaccinations, such as flu or shingles, and after health conditions such as respiratory and gastrointestinal illness. With 12.8 million J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine doses administered, there have been approximately 100 preliminary reports of GBS identified. These cases have largely been reported about 2 weeks after vaccination and mostly in men, many 50 years and older. CDC will continue to monitor for and evaluate reports of GBS occurring after COVID-19 vaccination and will share more information as it becomes available.

FDA Update on Johnson and Johnson vaccine 7/13/2021

7/15/2021