How do I get a vaccine appointment?
My Turn
Check myturn.ca.gov or call (833) 422-4255 to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. If appointments are not available, you can sign up to be notified when they are.
VaccineFinder
Some local health authorities have additional vaccination appointments. Use the CDC’s VaccineFinder to find an appointment near you.
You can also check with your healthcare provider or local pharmacy.
Get vaccinated – it’s safe, effective, and free. Vaccination is the most important tool to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this page:
When you can get vaccinated
Every Californian 16 and up is now eligible for vaccination. Vaccination of people younger than 16 will start as soon as the COVID-19 vaccines are approved for them.
See CDPH’s Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Guidelines for details.
Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine use paused
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has directed health care providers to pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in California following the FDA and CDC’s recommendation. The State is working with vaccine providers to prioritize vaccine appointments for affected individuals.
How to get vaccinated
How can I get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment or vaccination locations?
Schedule with My Turn
Every Californian can sign up at myturn.ca.gov or call (833) 422-4255 to get their COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
If appointments are not available, you can sign up to be notified when appointments open up.
Schedule with a local provider
Some local health jurisdictions provide vaccination appointments separately from My Turn.
You can use the CDC’s VaccineFinder tool to find vaccination locations near you.
You should also check with your healthcare provider. They can advise if you can get your vaccination with them, or in another setting.
Vaccines are highly effective against severe COVID-19. No fully vaccinated person died due to COVID-19 during studies of the three authorized vaccines.
How vaccines work
How do COVID-19 vaccines work?
COVID-19 vaccines teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus. That means it is possible a person could still get COVID-19 just after vaccination, because the vaccine has not had enough time to build immunity.
If the vaccine you got requires two shots, be sure to get both doses so it can work fully.
Vaccine safety
COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the FDA have been shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials. These vaccines were authorized only after it was found that they make it substantially less likely you’ll get COVID-19.
How effective are the COVID-19 vaccines?
The authorized vaccines are up to 95% effective against a person becoming ill with COVID-19.
Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe?
The U.S. vaccine safety system ensures that all vaccines are as safe as possible. Learn how the federal government is working to ensure the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
Safety monitoring after vaccination
Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines. These vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history, using both established and new safety monitoring systems. These vaccines cannot give you COVID-19. Learn more facts about COVID-19 vaccines.
Results from monitoring efforts are reassuring. Many people have reported only mild side effects after COVID-19 vaccination. Some people have no side effects.
You cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine
The vaccines do not contain coronavirus and cannot give you COVID-19.
Benefits of getting vaccinated
COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to help us get back to normal
Why should I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. But they have other benefits, too:
COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to help us get back to normal.
Read more at CDC’s Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine.
What to expect after vaccination
You may have mild side effects
After COVID-19 vaccination, you may have some side effects. These are normal signs that your body is building immunity. Your arm may hurt where you got your shot or you may have redness or swelling. You may be tired or have a headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, or nausea. They may affect your ability to do daily activities, but should go away in a few days. Some people have no side effects. Learn more about Possible Side Effects After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine.
If you have experienced a side effect after COVID-19 vaccination, you can report it to:
- VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System)
- V-safe (After Vaccination Health Checker)
When to call the doctor
In most cases, discomfort from pain or fever is a normal sign that your body is building protection. Contact your doctor or healthcare provider:
- If the redness or tenderness where you got the shot gets worse after 24 hours
- If your side effects are worrying you or do not seem to be going away after a few days
If you get a COVID-19 vaccine and you think you might be having a severe allergic reaction after leaving the vaccination site, seek immediate medical care by calling 911. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and rare severe allergic reactions.
What you can do once fully vaccinated
You can:
- Spend time with other fully-vaccinated people, even indoors, without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Spend time indoors without masks or physical distancing with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease
- Travel domestically without a pre- or post-travel test and without quarantining after travel
- Travel internationally without a pre-travel test (depending on destination) and without quarantining after travel
You should:
- Take precautions in public including wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
- Get tested and isolate if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- Avoiding crowds indoors, especially when mixing with others who are not fully vaccinated
- Avoid being indoors, without a mask, with people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19
See the CDPH’s Travel Advisory and COVID-19 Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People for complete details.
Vaccine equity for hardest-hit communities
California is allocating COVID-19 vaccines as they become available to ensure equitable distribution.
We must end the COVID-19 pandemic as quickly and effectively as possible by vaccinating those most at risk of serious outcomes and those who have been most exposed at work or in their daily lives. This will protect not just those who are vaccinated, but reduce additional community transmission. By targeting vaccines to those who most need them, we can also begin to safely reopen activities across our economy.
The state will continue to double the amount of vaccine allocated to the lowest HPI quartile as announced on March 4 for at least four weeks starting on March 22.
Currently, the state is directing 40% of vaccine doses to the hardest-hit areas of the state based on the lowest quartile of the Public Health Alliance of Southern California’s Healthy Places Index (HPI).
Vaccination progress data
Spread the news about the vaccines
Vaccinate ALL 58 is our state’s COVID-19 vaccination program for Californians in all 58
counties.
Share that vaccination against COVID-19 is here. Visit the
COVID-19 Response Toolkit page to find
images and videos you can post on social media.
Questions and answers
Vaccines allocation and distribution
Once a week, the federal government announces anticipated allocation figures for each state. The number of allocated doses provided by the federal government is a projection and subject to change.
Using the federal allocation as a starting point, the state considers recommendations from the leadership of local health jurisdictions and the state’s third-party administrator, Blue Shield of California, to make decisions about how best to allocate vaccine supply in the state for efficient and equitable delivery of vaccinations. In addition to adjusting allocations to target eligible populations the state is directing 40% of vaccine doses to the hardest hit areas of the state based on the lowest quartile of the Healthy Places Index (HPI). See the most recent allocation.
Once notified of an allocation, local providers place orders which are reviewed by the state and submitted to the federal government. The federal government then authorizes the order and submits the request to the manufacturer. The manufacturer or central distributor ships the vaccine directly to local providers. It can take a week or longer for allocation by the federal government to arrive at public health offices or providers for administration.
Getting vaccinated
- Two doses for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, 21 days apart
- Two doses for the Moderna vaccine, 28 days apart
- One dose for the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine
If two shots are required, get your second shot as close to the recommended interval as possible, but not sooner. However, if you can’t get it at the recommended interval, second doses may be given up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose. There is limited data on how well these vaccines work beyond this window. But if the second dose is given after 42 days, there is no need to start over.
Be sure to get the same vaccine the second time that you got the first time. COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable with each other. The safety and efficacy of mixing vaccines has not been tested.
Nothing. COVID-19 vaccines, including their administration, are free to the public.
Read more at the Department of Managed Health Care’s Know Your Health Care Rights.
No. Vaccine distribution is based on eligibility irrespective of residency or immigration status.
Yes. We do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19.
No. 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 ending isolation. Those without symptoms should also wait until they meet the criteria before getting vaccinated. This guidance also applies to people who get COVID-19 before getting their second dose of vaccine.
Yes. All vaccine clinics in California are required to ensure sites and services are accessible in accordance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements.
Check with your healthcare provider, local health department, or local pharmacy.
Check with your healthcare provider, local health department, or local pharmacy.
If you receive Medi-Cal through a managed care plan, contact your plan’s member service department to request assistance for transportation to receive covered benefits. If you receive Medi-Cal through Fee-for-Service (FFS), you can access a list of Non-Medical Transportation (NMT) providers in your county and you can contact them directly to arrange transportation to your appointments.
If there is not a provider in your area, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) can assist if you email them DHCSNMT@dhcs.ca.gov. Please do NOT include personal information in your first email. DHCS staff will reply with a secure email asking for your information about the appointment.
If you have a need for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation, please inform your medical provider who can prescribe this service and put you in touch with a transportation provider to coordinate your ride to and from your appointment(s).
What to expect after vaccination
The following are accepted:
- Vaccination card, which includes name of person vaccinated, type of vaccine provided, and date last dose administered
- A photo of a vaccination card as a separate document
- A photo of the attendee’s vaccination card stored on their phone
- Documentation of vaccination from a healthcare provider
No. A vaccine will not cause you to test positive on viral tests.
If your body develops an immune response (the goal of vaccination), there is a possibility that you may test positive on antibody tests. Antibody tests indicate that you may have protection against the virus.
California law strictly limits how personal information about those who are vaccinated can be shared. California negotiated with the federal government to limit the required data sharing to only information that will not allow an individual to be identified.
Read more at CDPH’s California Data Use Agreement and Frequently Asked Questions.
Yes. We urge Californians to keep their vaccination record cards for themselves and their families in a safe place to prevent loss or damage. Individuals who need replacement cards should contact their vaccination provider for replacement. The local public health department and/or CDPH may also have this information if the vaccinated individual is unable to locate it through the vaccination provider.
Vaccine limitations
Yes. Vaccine providers must obtain consent from a parent, legal guardian, or other adult having legal custody before vaccinating a minor. But there are some exceptions:
- Emancipated minors do not need the consent of a parent or guardian to receive COVID-19 vaccine.
- Providers may accept written consent from a parent or legal guardian of an unaccompanied minor.
- If a provider has a written authorization for general medical care of a minor on file, a separate consent from a parent or guardian is not required. However, the provider may still request it.
It depends. CDC recommends that:
- If you have had a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction—even if it was not severe—to any ingredient in an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get either of the currently available mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna).
- If you have had a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction to any ingredient in Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get the J&J/Janssen vaccine.
- If you had an immediate allergic reaction after getting the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get the second dose.
- If you are allergic to PEG, you should not get an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Ask your doctor if you can get the Janssen vaccine.
- If you are allergic to polysorbate, you should not get the Janssen vaccine. Ask your doctor if you can get an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
- If you aren’t able to get one type of COVID-19 vaccine because you are allergic to an ingredient, ask your doctor if you should get a different vaccine.
- If you aren’t able to get the second shot of an mRNA vaccine because you had an allergic reaction, ask your doctor if you should get a different vaccine.
- If you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injections, you should ask your doctor if you should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
- People with a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injections may still get vaccinated. People may get vaccinated even with a:
- History of allergies to oral medications
- Family history of severe allergic reactions
- Milder allergy to vaccines
The ingredients in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines include:
- mRNA
- Lipids
- Salts
- Sugars
- Buffers
Buffers help maintain the stability of the pH solution.
The Janssen vaccine includes the following ingredients:
- Recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus type 26 expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein
- Citric acid monohydrate
- Trisodium citrate dihydrate
- Ethanol
- 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HBCD), polysorbate-80
- Sodium chloride
These vaccines do not contain:
To learn more about the ingredients in authorized COVID-19 vaccines, see
The CDC recommends that:
- If you have had a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction—even if it was not severe—to any ingredient in an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get either of the currently available mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna).
- If you have had a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction to any ingredient in Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get the J&J/Janssen vaccine.
- If you had an immediate allergic reaction after getting the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get the second dose.
- If you are allergic to PEG, you should not get an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Ask your doctor if you can get the Janssen vaccine.
- If you are allergic to polysorbate, you should not get the Janssen vaccine. Ask your doctor if you can get an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
- If you aren’t able to get one type of COVID-19 vaccine because you are allergic to an ingredient, ask your doctor if you should get a different vaccine.
- If you aren’t able to get the second shot of an mRNA vaccine because you had an allergic reaction, ask your doctor if you should get a different vaccine.
People with underlying medical conditions can receive the FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines provided they have not had an immediate or severe allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine or to any of the ingredients in the vaccine. Learn more about vaccination considerations for people with underlying medical conditions. Vaccination is an important consideration for adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions because they are at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19.
Yes. The CDC recommends that if you are pregnant, you may choose to be vaccinated when it’s available to you. There is currently no evidence that antibodies formed from COVID-19 vaccination cause any problem with pregnancy, including the development of the placenta.
People who are trying to become pregnant now or who plan to try in the future may also receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them. There is no evidence that fertility problems are a side effect of any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines. There is no routine recommendation for taking a pregnancy test before you get a COVID-19 vaccine.If you have questions about getting vaccinated, talk with a healthcare provider to help you make an informed decision.
The CDC recommends:
- If you tested positive, had only mild symptoms, and were not treated for the coronavirus, you should wait at least 10 days since the start of COVID-19 symptoms and satisfy criteria to discontinue isolation before getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Wait 90 days to get the vaccine if you recovered from a COVID-19 infection and were treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma.
The CDC recommends:
- Wait at least 14 days before getting any other vaccine, including a flu or shingles vaccine, if you get your COVID-19 vaccine first. And if you get another vaccine first, wait at least 14 days before getting your COVID-19 vaccine.
- If a COVID-19 vaccine is inadvertently given within 14 days of another vaccine, you do not need to restart the COVID-19 vaccine series. You should still complete the series on schedule.
Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are not recommended for children:
- Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is for ages sixteen and above
- Moderna vaccine is for ages eighteen and above
- Johnson & Johnson vaccine is for ages eighteen and above
Clinical trials are ongoing to identify a safe vaccine for children.
Vaccine choices
It depends on vaccine availability. Check with your health care provider to find out which vaccines they have available. The VaccineFinder allows you the option to search for vaccines by manufacturer.
No, there is no mandatory vaccination requirement from either the state or federal government. Once more and more Californians see how safe and effective the COVID-19 vaccines are, we hope they will voluntarily opt to receive them.
Yes. An employer may require employees to receive FDA-approved vaccination against COVID-19 infection so long as the employer:
- Does not discriminate against or harass employees or job applicants on the basis of protected characteristics
- Provides reasonable accommodations related to disability or sincerely-held religious beliefs or practices
- Does not retaliate against anyone for engaging in protected activities
Read more at DFEH’s Employment information on COVID-19.
Talking with family and friends about the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine can be hard. You can help by listening without judgement and identifying the root of their concerns. Things to remember to help open the discussion include:
- Listen to questions with empathy
- Ask open-ended questions to explore concerns
- Ask permission to share information
- Help them find their own reason to get vaccinated
- Help make their vaccination happen
The CDC has recommendations on how to talk about COVID-19 vaccines with friends and family.
Vaccine committees and workgroups