Vaccines FAQ

No, as long as BOTH of the following are true:

1. It has been at least 2 weeks but not more than 3 months since your second dose.
2. You have not had any symptoms of COVID-19 in the 2 weeks since the exposure.
3. If you do not meet both criteria, please follow standard quarantine guidance

People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19: two weeks or more after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or two weeks or more after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson [J&J]/Janssen).

Please wait until your quarantine period is over before getting vaccinated. This helps reduce the risk of potentially spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to others during the vaccination visit. Please continue to follow all COVID-19 safety measures and quarantine guidance.

The CDC does not recommend taking medications that treat fever and pain, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, before your vaccine to prevent side effects. These medicines might affect how well your body’s immune system responds to the vaccine. If you take these medications regularly for another health condition, talk to your healthcare provider before skipping any doses.

You can ask your healthcare provider about whether you can take these medications after vaccination for symptoms such as fever or arm pain. To soothe arm pain, the CDC also recommends applying a clean, cool, wet washcloth over the area where you feel discomfort and exercising your arm. If you experience fever, drink plenty of fluids and keep your body cool.

If you have COVID-19 or tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, you should wait to get your second dose until your symptoms have resolved (if you have symptoms) AND until you have finished your isolation period. Sometimes this will require rescheduling your second dose, but there is no need to retake the first dose.

• Reduce number of people with COVID-19
• Reduce severity of illness
• Reduce hospitalizations
• Reduce deaths

There are three COVID-19 vaccines currently available, from the following manufacturers: Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Moderna, and Pfizer. All three vaccines are high efficacy against preventing COVID-19–associated hospitalization and death. 

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is authorized for people 18 years and older. It is a single dose vaccine. It is available at no cost.

An analysis by the FDA found that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was 85 percent effective at preventing severe COVID-19 and 100 percent effective at preventing death. In the U.S., the single dose was 72 percent effective at preventing moderate to severe disease.

A single dose vaccine is more convenient than a two-dose vaccine. People who can’t take time away from work to receive two doses or who don’t have a regular doctor will be fully vaccinated after one dose.

Public health departments can quickly distribute single doses of the Janssen vaccine to people who cannot easily make second appointments – such as people who are without stable housing or those who are leaving a hospital.

From April 13, 2021 to April 23, 2021, the CDC paused the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to collect and analyze information about cases of blood clots in people who received the vaccine. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended resuming the use of the J&J vaccine because the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the very low risk of clotting.

Blood clots have occurred rarely in some people who have received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. In people who developed these blood clots, symptoms began 1-2 weeks post-vaccination, and most who developed these blood clots were women under 50 years of age. You should seek immediate medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms post-vaccination: shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, severe headaches or blurred vision, easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection.

Being vaccinated against COVID-19 helps the body develop a memory response to fight off the virus that causes COVID-19, without having to get the illness. COVID-19 vaccines also decrease the likelihood of severe illness or death if infection does occur. For more information, see Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work (CDC).

The vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines. mRNA vaccines contain material from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which gives our cells instructions for how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. Our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes (white blood cells) that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future.

mRNA vaccines do not contain a live virus and do not carry a risk of causing disease in the vaccinated person. mRNA from the vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell and does not affect or interact with a person’s DNA. For more information on mRNA vaccines, see Understanding and Explaining mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines (CDC).

The COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) is a viral vector vaccine. Viral vector vaccines use a modified version of a different virus (the vector) to deliver important instructions to our cells. For COVID-19 viral vector vaccines, the vector (not the virus that causes COVID-19, but a different, harmless virus) will enter a cell in our body and then use the cell’s machinery to produce a harmless piece of the virus that causes COVID-19. This piece is known as a spike protein and it is only found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19.

The cell displays the spike protein on its surface, and our immune system recognizes it doesn’t belong there. This triggers our immune system to begin producing antibodies and activating other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection. At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect us against future infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. For more information, see Understanding Viral Vector COVID-19 Vaccines.

• birth year (not reported for people over 80 years old)
• sex
• the county where the vaccine is administered.

Some people have experienced side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, like temporary pain or swelling on the arm where they got the shot, fever, chills, tiredness, and/or headache. These side effects are normal for any vaccine and should be expected as the body builds cells to defend against COVID-19.

While adverse effects from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine appear to be extremely rare, people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should monitor themselves for severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination. If you experience any of these symptoms, please contact your health care provider immediately. For more information, please visit the CDC’s Overview of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

• V-safe app from the CDC is a smartphone-based, after-vaccination health checker for people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. V-safe uses text messaging and surveys to check in with COVID-19 vaccine recipients after vaccination. Simply put, anyone with symptoms enters their information into V-Safe so that researchers can continue to study the safety of the vaccine on all populations.
• The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a national system used by the CDC and the FDA. This system collects reports from healthcare professionals, vaccine manufacturers, and the public regarding any adverse events that may happen after vaccination.
• National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is an acute and long-term facility monitoring system that reports to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS).
• Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) is a network of nine healthcare organizations from across the US that conduct active surveillance and research. This system is used to aid in determining if possible side effects identified in the VAERS are actually related to the vaccine.
• Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) Project is a collaboration between seven medical research institutions and the CDC. CISA provides consultation on a case by case basis, and conducts research about vaccine safety.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), Pfizer, and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were safe and effective based on large clinical trials with diverse participants.

No vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness. There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who still get sick from COVID-19, or who test positive but have no symptoms. Variants of SARS-CoV-2 will cause some of these post-vaccination infections, but current data suggest that the FDA- and WHO-authorized vaccines offer protection against most variants circulating in the United States.

Pfizer/BioNTech  

• 46,331 enrolled  

• 153 clinical sites in 39 United States  
• Racial/ethnic distribution:  

• 70% White  
• 13% Hispanic/Latino (>5.5k)  
• 10% African American/Black (>4k)  

• 6% Asian  
• 1% Native American  

• Age distribution:  

• 45% ages 56-85  

Moderna 

• 30,000 enrolled  
• 89 clinical sites in 32 United States  
• Racial/ethnic distribution: 

• 63% White  
• 20% Hispanic/Latino (6k)  

• 10% African American/Black (3k)  
• 4% Asian  
• 3% All others  

• Age distribution: 

• 39% ages 45-64  

• 25% ages 65+  

Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) 

• 43,783 enrolled 
• Racial/ethnic distribution: 

• 74% White 

• 15% Hispanic/Latino, 
• 13% Black/African American 
• 6% Asian 
• 1% American Indian/Alaska Native 

• Age distribution: 

• 66% ages 18-59 
• 34% ages 60+ 

The Alameda County COVID-19 Vaccine Values & Principles:

1. Provide transparent and accurate information to help people make vaccine decisions
2. Lead with equity and data (Race/Ethnicity, Geography, Socioeconomic factors, Critical populations) 
3. Ensure safe and equitable distribution 
4. Leverage all venues and partners for broad distribution (Hospitals, Clinics, Private practice, Pharmacies, Community based Points of Distribution (PODs))

If you would like to volunteer in a medical or non-medical role at one of the County’s vaccination sites, you must register online.

Non-medical volunteers: Please register with the California Health Corps here. Under Organization select “Alameda County Unit”. Under "Occupation" select "Non-Medical". You will be asked to submit to a brief background check.

Medical volunteers: Please complete both of the following registration forms.

Register with the California Health Corps here and be sure to sign up for the “Alameda County Unit.”

Sign up with Alameda Count through this electronic form. You will be asked to submit to a brief background check.

At this time, we are fortunate to have a large number of volunteer offers which may cause delays in our vetting system and background check process. We will process these as quickly as possible in anticipation of needing additional volunteers in the coming months as our vaccine allocation from the state increases. Thank you for your patience as this process ramps up.

In the coming months, we anticipate a need for vaccinators and logistical and administrative support. Dates and locations are not determined yet, but we do expect that one shift could be 8-12 hours long. There is no pay for volunteering. Modest meals will be provided, and volunteers could potentially receive the vaccine.

Thank you for your patience at this time. More information about volunteering can be found here.

• Which vaccines are approved for use in United States (FDA)
• How much vaccine will be allocated to each state (CDC)
• Overall framework for who gets vaccine at each phase of the rollout (CDC)
• Initial Framework: A Phased Approach for COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation (National Academy of Medicine)
• Ongoing research, monitoring, and oversight (NIH, FDA, CDC)

• Which vaccine(s) will be used in CA
• How much vaccine will be allocated to each local health jurisdiction/county
• State-specific framework for who will get vaccine when (per federal guidelines)
• Which data systems will be used across the state to monitor vaccine distribution and uptake
• Ongoing data collection, monitoring and oversight

• Coordinate local infrastructure for vaccine storage, distribution, & administration
• Promote equitable distribution across local communities
• Develop County-specific framework for who gets vaccine when (per state guidelines)
• Conduct ongoing data reporting and monitoring

No. There is no requirement from the local, state, or federal government to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Getting vaccinated is a voluntary decision, so we strive to share the best available information to help people make the right choice for themselves.

No. It is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all individuals residing in the United States have access to the vaccine. Alameda County and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) encourage all individuals, regardless of immigration status, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once eligible under local distribution guidelines. For more information, please see DHS Statement on Equal Access to COVID-19 Vaccines and Vaccine Distribution Sites.

There is no cost associated with getting vaccinated against COVID-19— regardless of insurance, immigration status, or vaccine phase.

• Photo Identification (ID). Your photo ID does not have to be government issued.
• Appointment Confirmation. If you have an appointment, print the confirmation, or provide it on your phone.
• Mask. Please remember to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

Yes. Vaccinating as many people as possible is expected to reduce viral reproduction and limit opportunities for the virus to evolve variants of concern in our communities.

Please continue to follow the prevention guidelines you’ve heard about since the pandemic started:  

• Wear a face covering
• Keep at least six feet of distance from anyone you don’t live with
• Wash your hands oftenStay home if sick
• Avoid gatherings

If you received your first dose of the vaccine before Monday, 1/11/21:
You do not need to make an appointment to receive your second dose. Return to the location where you received your first dose on the date listed on your vaccination card.

If you received your first dose of the vaccine on or after Monday, 1/11/21:
Individuals who receive a first dose at an Alameda County Point of Dispensing (POD) site on, or after Monday, 1/11/21, will have the opportunity to make their second dose appointment onsite. After receiving their first dose, individuals will receive a QR code to scan with a smartphone, to access the online system to schedule their second dose appointment (the same way they scheduled first dose).

Those who cannot access the QR code that day will receive an email reminder to schedule the appointment for their second dose. The email will come from: no-reply@multistatep4p.com

If an individual was informed their provider will reach out and they have not heard back, they should follow up with their provider and/or the process they used to get the first dose.

Everyone who received a first dose through a County POD, will receive their second dose from a County POD. Medical providers who receive vaccine directly from Alameda County (versus the State) are also equipped with enough doses to administer to individuals they provided a first vaccination.  

The data provided to us is posted on our vaccine dashboard: https://covid-19.acgov.org/data.

CDC second dose administration guidance is here: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html#Administration. 

There are three vaccines that are currently being administered in Alameda County. The vaccinator will provide you with information about which vaccine you are receiving and, depending on which vaccine you receive, when to get your second dose.

• The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine consists of two doses given 21 days apart.
• The Moderna vaccine consists of two doses given 28 days apart.
• The Johnson & Johnson vaccine consists of one dose.

According to the CDC, there should be 21 days between the first and second doses of Pfizer vaccine, and 28 days between the first and second doses of the Moderna vaccine. If it is not possible to receive the second dose of vaccine on time, the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines may be administered for up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose.
 

Under most circumstances, the different vaccines should not be mixed. For example, you should not receive your first dose with the Pfizer vaccine and get your second dose with Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. Your healthcare provider or someone at the vaccine clinic will let you know if you need to get a different vaccine as your second dose. If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you do NOT need a second dose.

If you got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as your first dose, please bring your COVID-19 vaccination record card with you to your second vaccination appointment. It is recommended that you make a backup copy of your COVID-19 vaccination record card, such as taking a picture of your vaccination card with your phone.   

Additionally, your first vaccine dose is recorded in the California Immunization Registry (CAIR). Therefore, at your second dosing appointment you can ask your vaccine administrator pull up your information on CAIR to ensure vaccine mixing does not occur.

If you have symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 you should get tested. This is true even after being vaccinated. Tests for COVID-19 work the same in vaccinated people as they do in unvaccinated people.

Yes. Since it's still possible to become ill with the virus until you are fully vaccinated, please continue to follow the prevention guidelines you’ve heard about since the pandemic started, and please remember to get your second dose:

1. Wear a face covering when you are with people you don't live with
2. Keep at least six feet of distance from anyone you don’t live with
3. Wash your hands often
4. Stay home if you are sick
5. Avoid gatherings with people you don't live with

No. Neither the recently authorized and recommended vaccines nor the other COVID-19 vaccines currently in clinical trials in the United States can cause you to test positive on viral tests, which are used to see if you have a current infection.​

If your body develops an immune response—the goal of vaccination—there is a possibility you may test positive on some antibody tests. Antibody tests indicate you had a previous infection and that you may have some level of protection against the virus. Experts are currently looking at how COVID-19 vaccination may affect antibody testing results.

No. COVID-19 vaccines do not interact with or change your DNA in any way.

Messenger RNA vaccines—also called mRNA vaccines—are the first COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States. mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept. This means the mRNA cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease. Learn more about how COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work. ​

At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect against future infection. That immune response and making antibodies is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies.

No. When you arrive for your appointment, you will not be asked to share your disability or health condition.

You are not required to bring documentation about your disability or health condition to your appointment.

Before you can receive the vaccine, you will be asked to verify that you have a high-risk health condition or disability. This is called “self-attestation.”

When you sign-up for your vaccine appointment online or on the phone, you will be asked to do a self-attestation. You will be prompted to answer “yes” or “no” to the question, “Do you believe you are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 due to an underlying health condition?”

If you do not make a vaccination appointment in advance, you will self-attest in person at the vaccine site before you receive the vaccine. If you have any trouble completing the self-attestation, someone will be able to help you.

No. You do not need to bring an attestation letter to your vaccination appointment.

If you already have an attestation letter, you may bring it with you. You will not be asked to show the letter to any staff at the vaccination site.

For most people, the best vaccine is the first one that is available to them. There are currently three vaccines available. The Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are all safe and effective and authorized by the FDA. People who are 16-17 years old can only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

We recommend that you discuss any concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines with your doctor.

The vaccine will help protect you from getting COVID-19. However, some side effects are common. They are normal signs that your body is building protection against the virus.

After getting the vaccine, your arm may hurt, look a little red, or swell. Other common side effects include feeling tired, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and/or nausea. These side effects can be unpleasant, but generally go away after a few days. Some people have no side effects at all.

Talk to your doctor about taking over-the-counter medication, like Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin, or antihistamines for any pain and discomfort you may experience after vaccination. You can take these over-the-counter medications after vaccination to relieve post-vaccination side effects if you have no medical reasons not to take them. We recommended you ask your doctor if it’s safe for you to take these over-the-counter medications after vaccination to reduce your symptoms. We do not recommend taking these medications before vaccination.

You can also relieve pain and discomfort where you got the shot by applying a clean, cool, wet washcloth over the area and by using or exercising your arm. To reduce discomfort from fever, drink plenty of fluids and dress lightly.

These infographics were created by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Review the CDC’s description of possible side effects and how to relieve them.

Currently, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (also known as the Janssen vaccine) is the only available COVID-19 vaccine that requires just one shot.

For some people, getting a one-shot vaccine like Johnson & Johnson may be easier. This may be true if your mobility is limited and/or if getting to the vaccination site is challenging. For others, getting a two-shot vaccine like Moderna or Pfizer will not be a challenge.

The good news is that the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is highly effective, safe, and can be a good alternative for people who cannot easily make a second vaccination appointment. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is approved only for people who are 18 and older. Pfizer is the only vaccine that is currently approved for people who are 16 and older.

Right now, there is not enough vaccine for everyone. This means you may not be able to choose which vaccine you get at a site. When you make your appointment, you will be told which vaccine is being offered so you can make an informed decision.

We recommend that you get the vaccine from whoever can give it to you first. You can get the vaccine through the state, Alameda County, your healthcare provider, a pharmacy, or a vaccine pop-up site.

Please visit the Vaccine Availability section of our website to learn about eligibility and how to make an appointment.

Sign-up for vaccine notification with the state at My Turn https://myturn.ca.gov/. 

Contact your health insurance plan, doctor, or pharmacy to find out how to receive the vaccine through those channels.

Alameda County: To sign-up for vaccination with Alameda County, visit our vaccines website and click “Get notified when it’s your turn” under Alameda County Residents.

• Fill out the Alameda County Resident Vaccine Notification Form.
• Be sure to answer YES to the question that asks if you “believe you are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 due to an underlying health condition.”
• If you need help completing the form, call 510-208-4829 and someone will help you sign-up for vaccination with the county.

UCSF-Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is now giving the Pfizer vaccine to people between the ages of 16-21.

• To schedule a vaccine appointment with Children’s Hospital, call the UCSF COVID vaccine scheduling hotline at 415-514-1196 and when prompted press option 2.  Although option 2 indicates it is for UCSF patients only, you should still press option 2 even if you are not a UCSF patient. 
• After you press option 2, a recorded message will state that UCSF does not currently have vaccine for 1^st doses and that the caller should stay on the line to speak to a representative. Please stay on the line and tell the operator that you are calling to schedule a vaccine appointment at Children’s Hospital Oakland for a 16- or 17-year-old who is medically eligible.

Yes. The county has two vaccine sites that are ADA accessible (walk-in, not drive thru):

• Fremont High School, between High Street & Ygnacio Avenue, Oakland, CA 94601
• Hayward Adult School Gym, between Princeton Street & Sunset Blvd, Hayward, CA 94541

Please visit the Vaccine Availability section of our website for hours of operation.

If standing in line is difficult or causes you discomfort, talk to a vaccine site staff member and ask to sit near the front of the vaccine appointment line. The vaccination team may be able to vaccinate you in your car. If you require any accommodations at a vaccine site, do not hesitate to ask. All sites have multi-language services.

If you have challenges with mobility or cannot take public transportation, please reach out to the resources listed on the Paratransit: Supporting Vaccine Access section of our website. Paratransit is a specialized transportation service for persons who cannot use regular buses, streetcars, or BART due to disability or a health-related condition.

MediCal managed care plans like the Alameda Alliance for Health (AAH) and Anthem Blue Cross, as well as some other health insurance and managed care plans, can also provide transportation services. We recommend that you contact your health insurance or managed care plan for more information about this.

California Children’s Services (CCS) can provide transportation for CCS enrolled children and youth who are not enrolled in Medi-Cal managed care or are unable to obtain transportation through their managed care plan.  For further information about CCS transportation services, please call 510-208-5970 and ask to speak with Michelle Theus, the Alameda County CCS transportation specialist.

Paratransit services are available to those receiving vaccination at the Oakland Coliseum. Please visit the East Bay Paratransit website for more information.

We are working on this. At this time, you cannot receive vaccination at home, but there are plans for this option to be available in the future for those who are homebound or unable to get to a vaccine site.  If you are unable to leave your home due to mobility challenges or illness, you can indicate that you require a vaccination in your home by selecting “yes” on the Alameda County Vaccination notification form.