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COVID-19 Vaccine

Find out where you can get the COVID-19 vaccine at Mass General Brigham and in the community.

COVID vaccine syringe

Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance

Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent illness and reduce the risk of severe disease and hospitalization. When you get vaccinated, you also protect people around you, including those who are at higher risk of complications for respiratory illnesses.

We encourage patients to contact your local pharmacies to get vaccinated. They administer the same vaccines as in our clinics. Local pharmacies may not administer to infants and toddlers. Please contact your child’s pediatrician’s office if you are having trouble.

To find a local pharmacy for COVID-19 vaccines, you can go to vaccines.gov or call 1-800-232-0233. Many primary care and specialty offices across Mass General Brigham will offer COVID-19 vaccines at regularly scheduled office visits. Most of our clinics do not offer vaccine-only appointments.

The CDC’s recommendations allow for adults 18 years and older to receive a different updated vaccine than their original vaccine.

Yes, you should still get vaccinated if you have had COVID-19 and have recovered. If you recently had COVID-19, you may consider delaying your next vaccine dose by 3 months from:

  • When your symptoms started.

  • If you had no symptoms, when you first received a positive COVID test.

If you have questions, consider asking your doctor. For more information, see the CDC’s website.

About the current FDA-emergency use authorized COVID-19 vaccines

We will not recommend any vaccine that has not been shown to be safe and effective. All COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. These results were consistent across gender, age, race, and ethnicity.

Every vaccine goes through a strict regulatory review process. We continually monitor any clinical or safety concerns for all vaccines. For more information please see the CDC website.

Though mRNA vaccines are a new kind of vaccine, researchers have been studying and working on them for many years. They do not contain live virus and cannot cause COVID-19. Instead, they give our cells directions on how to make the COVID-19 proteins found on the outside layer of the coronavirus. Our immune system can then make antibodies to these proteins and protect us from being infected with COVID-19. The mRNA from the vaccine never enters the nucleus of our cells or gets into our DNA. The CDC has more information about mRNA vaccines.

The Novavax vaccine is a protein subunit vaccine. These vaccines contain proteins (called spike protein) of the virus that causes COVID-19. The vaccine contains another ingredient that helps the immune system respond to the spike protein in the future. When the immune system knows how to respond to the spike protein, it can respond quickly to the actual virus spike protein and protect people against COVID-19. This type of vaccine was created 30 years ago and has been used to treat hepatitis B and whooping cough.

The CDC has more information about protein subunit vaccines >

Allergies

There have been some reports of people having allergic reactions after getting vaccinated. A small number of people had a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Based on this, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that people with a history of anaphylaxis to any of the ingredients in a COVID-19 vaccine should not get that vaccine. People with other food or medication allergies can be safely vaccinated.

In general, most patients allergic to one vaccine can receive the other vaccines safely. If you have a history of severe allergic reactions to vaccines, injectable therapies, or any component of the COVID-19 vaccine, you should talk to your primary care provider or allergist (if you have one). Your provider can help you decide if it is safe to get vaccinated.

Read more about potential side effects >

You can receive a COVID-19 vaccine if you have a food or drug allergy. The Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines do not contain gelatin, egg, or latex.

Allergy/immunology consultation may be useful for you if you have the following issues:

  • Prior history of vaccine allergy with reactions such as itching, rash, hives, swelling/angioedema, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, or anaphylaxis

  • History of allergy to polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate, with reactions such as itching, rash, hives, swelling/angioedema, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness or anaphylaxis

  • A reaction to a dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and fertility

The CDC, our pediatricians and our OBGYNs recommend that people who are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or breastfeeding get vaccinated for COVID-19. Please see the complete recommendations here.

Children

The CDC recommends that children ages 6 months and older receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved and recommended for patients in this age group.

Please see full details on the CDC website. If you have questions about your child’s vaccine, please contact your pediatrician’s office.

Where can I get more information?

Updated December 20, 2024

Get up-to-date vaccine information

Vaccine emails from Patient Gateway

Patient Gateway is a convenient, secure way to manage your health and communicate with your doctor's office. We are sending regular updates about the COVID-19 vaccine to all enrolled in Patient Gateway.

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