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Vaccine Clinics

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Where can I get my vaccine?

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and available at no cost to you! There are many vaccination opportunities in Sonoma County, including your healthcare provider and the clinics and other resources listed below.  

  • For a schedule of vaccine clinics in Sonoma County, visit the   Vaccine Clinics Calendar or see map below. 
  • If you need help with scheduling your second dose, please email vaccinehelp@sonoma-county.org. You can also call (707) 565-4667 for more information about vaccines. 
  • Many vaccine clinics use the California Department of Public Health’s MyTurn.ca.gov system for listing vaccine opportunities and many also accept walk-in appointments.
  • The Center for Disease Control maintains a helpful tool at Vaccines.gov. These vaccine clinics are mostly pharmacies and listed by vaccine type, availability, and distance from your location.
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs has multiple vaccine clinic locations. Register online at COVID-19 vaccine at VA, call (877) 327-0022, or visit MyTurn.ca.gov.

Options for consent for minors

Persons younger than 18 years must have parental or guardian consent given by a legally authorized representative (parent or guardian). An emancipated minor may consent for him/herself. Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine has received Emergency Use Authorization for people under 18.
Vaccine supply is plentiful and currently available to everyone 12 and older regardless of insurance or citizenship status. Appointments can be made through your healthcare provider or at a vaccination clinic listed below.

Allowable consent includes:

  • Parent/guardian accompanies the minor in person.
  • If the parent/guardian cannot accompany the minor, a signed written consent is acceptable. The written consent must verify the parent/guardian has been provided the Pfizer EUA Fact Sheet.
  • Phone or video consent is possible if the parent/guardian confirms that they have been provided the Pfizer EUA Fact Sheet or the Fact Sheet is read to the parent/guardian.

A sample consent form can be found here, from the California Department of Public Health. The Sonoma County Office of Education also has consent forms in English and Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

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Should I wait to get a specific kind of vaccine?

With three safe, effective vaccines available from Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson, you may feel compelled to wait or hunt for a specific vaccine. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, though, the best vaccine is the one that is available to you. “Waiting to get vaccinated until a particular brand is available is risky because it allows the virus to spread among people and continue to mutate into potentially more infectious or vaccine resistant variants,” Dr. Fauci explained. In very specific situations, those experiencing homelessness, for example, the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is preferable because instability makes getting a second dose challenging. For most of us, though, according to Dr. Fauci, this is a “race between the virus and vaccines…If it’s available to you, get it.”

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I am unable to leave my house due to health conditions, can I still get a vaccine?

Yes! Through a partnership with Fox Home Health, the County of Sonoma is providing COVID-19 vaccinations to adults 16 years of age and older who are homebound for a variety of medical reasons and have difficulty getting to a clinic. Fox Home Health  is operating a mobile vaccine clinic for those who are homebound. This service is available to those who are homebound as defined by Medicare: 

  • You need the help of another person or medical equipment such as crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair to leave your home, or your doctor believes that your health or illness could get worse if you leave your home.
  • And, it is difficult for you to leave your home and you typically cannot do so.

Medicare still considers you homebound even if you can still leave your home for medical treatment, religious services, and/or to attend a licensed or accredited adult day care center. Fox Home Health will screen homebound individuals for eligibility before providing vaccinations. Homebound individuals who fit the criteria should call (707) 565-4667 or email stompcovid@foxandassociates.org for more information.

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Once I receive my first dose, how do I schedule my second dose?

To schedule your second dose, contact the organization that set up your first appointment. This is also who you reach out to if you have questions or if you are having trouble scheduling an appointment. For contact information, visit this page.
 
You will need two doses for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The timing between your first and second dose depends on which vaccine you received. If you received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, schedule your second dose three weeks (or 21 days) after the first dose. If you received the Moderna vaccine, schedule your appointment four weeks (or 28 days) after your first dose.
 
You should get your second dose as close to the recommended interval as possible. However, though you should not get the second dose earlier than the recommended interval. There is no maximum interval between the first and second doses for either vaccine. Side effects might include a sore arm or flu-like symptoms and could affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Having flu-like symptoms means that your body is building an immune response which tells you that the vaccine is working. Unless a vaccination provider or your doctor advises against it, be sure to get the second dose even if you have side effects after the first dose. Also, please be aware that it takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination–it may take a week or two after your second dose before you are protected.
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Does immunity after getting COVID-19 last longer than protection from COVID-19 vaccines?

The protection someone gains from having an infection (called natural immunity) varies depending on the disease, and it varies from person to person. Since this virus is new, we don’t know how long natural immunity might last. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection.

Regarding vaccination, we won’t know how long immunity lasts until we have more data on how well the vaccines work.

Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about, and CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.

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Why would a vaccine be needed if we can do other things, like social distancing and wearing masks, to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading?

Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools available. Vaccines work with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. Other steps, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask and staying at least 6 feet away from others, help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.

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If I have already had COVID-19 and recovered, do I still need to get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available?

COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to you regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 infection. You should not be required to have an antibody test before you are vaccinated.

However, anyone currently infected with COVID-19 should wait to get vaccinated until after their illness has resolved and after they have met the criteria to discontinue isolation.

Additionally, current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection. Therefore, people with a recent infection may delay vaccination until the end of that 90-day period if desired.

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Are there special considerations on who should get the COVID-19 vaccine first?

CDC is making recommendations for who should be offered COVID-19 vaccine first when supplies are limited. To help guide decisions about how to distribute limited initial supplies of COVID-19 vaccine, CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices have published recommendations for which groups should be vaccinated first. The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as large quantities of vaccine are available.

While CDC makes recommendations for who should be offered COVID-19 vaccine first, each state has its own plan for vaccine prioritization, distribution and allocation. The California Department of Public Health’s prioritizations are available here. 

Learn how CDC is making COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, including recommendations if there is a limited supply, based on input from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

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Who is paying for the COVID-19 vaccine?

Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccination providers will be able to charge an administration fee for giving the shot to someone. Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.

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How many shots of the COVID-19 vaccine will be needed?

Of the authorized and recommended vaccines to prevent COVID-19 in the United States, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines need two shots to be effective. Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine requires only one shot for vaccination. 

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