Everyone in Virginia 12 or older is now eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccine. This guide will provide you with websites and phone numbers that can help you sign up for your shot and give information on the vaccines available in Virginia.
Search by Location at Vaccinate Virginia
- If you choose the Novavax, opens a new window vaccine, you will need two doses.
- If you choose the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, you should get your second dose approximately 21 days after your first dose.
- If you choose the Moderna vaccine, you should get your second dose approximately 28 days after your first dose.
- You can get your second dose at any clinic that offers the same brand as your first dose.
- If necessary, your second dose can be up to 42 days after your first dose.
Mary Washington Healthcare has its own portal that provides a similar questionnaire to the Vaccinate Virginia site. You may also get the vaccine through CVS or Walgreens. Find vaccines nationwide through here.
COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens
The CDC recommends everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to help protect against COVID-19. Children 12 years and older are able to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. Learn more here, opens a new window about the vaccine for children and teens.
Information on the Different Types of COVID Vaccines
There are three vaccines currently cleared for use in Virginia. They are the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, and the Novavax vaccine. Pfizer and Moderna are both mRNA vaccines, a new technology that has been developed to fight the COVID virus. According to Johns Hopkins, you cannot get COVID from a COVID vaccine, and the CDC states that mRNA vaccines will not alter your DNA or change you in any way.
These are both two-shot vaccines, and you will typically get your second shot scheduled in the clinic after your first shot. You will need both of either shot to be vaccinated against COVID. You may experience side effects (especially after your second shot) for several hours to a day after your shot, but these will typically not last long and are a sign that the vaccine is working within your body. You may find it useful to take a day off work following your shot, particularly your second shot, so you won’t have to deal with the side effects while in your workplace. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have both been approved for people over the age of 6 months, opens a new window, and Novavax is approved for people over the age of 12 years, opens a new window; possible side effects of COVID vaccines are listed here, opens a new window. If you have questions about either vaccine, please check with your doctor.
The Novavax vaccine is different from the other two. It is a protein adjuvant, opens a new window that uses the spike protein of the coronavirus formulated as a nanoparticle to create an immune response. This spike protein contains no genetic material and cannot, opens a new window cause disease. Novavax was first approved for use in the US in October 2022, opens a new window. A fourth vaccine, the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine, was available in past years but was not updated for new COVID variants and its EUA was revoked, opens a new window. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is no longer available in the US.
Please be aware that CRRL cannot provide personal medical advice and can provide general information only. We hope you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy.
