For you. For your family. For your neighborhoods.

No. COVID-19 vaccines are working well to stop severe illness, hospitalization, and death, even against the Delta variant. However, public health experts are starting to see lower protection, especially in certain groups, against mild and medium illness.

For many people who have finished their two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the benefits of getting a booster shot outweigh the known and potential risks. So far, reactions reported after the third Pfizer-BioNTech shot were similar to that of the two-shot primary series. Fatigue and pain at the injection site were the most commonly reported side effects, and overall, most side effects were mild to moderate. However, as with the two-shot primary series, serious side effects are rare, but may occur.

People are still considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a 2-shot series, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the J&J/Janssen vaccine. This applies to all people, including those who get an additional dose as recommended for moderate to severely immunocompromised people and those who get a booster shot.

Yes. The COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older, including people who are trying to get pregnant now or might become pregnant in the future.

Currently no evidence shows that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems (problems trying to get pregnant) in women or men. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and people who would like to have a baby.

Yes, the CDC confirms that the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine can be given at the same time.

NeighborHealth is using the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines, depending on state and federal supply. Some important things to keep in mind about the three vaccines:

• All of the available COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, safe, and have been through a strict clinical review.
• All three vaccines have been shown in clinical trials to be effective against hospitalization and death related to COVID-19.
• The best vaccine to get is the one that is immediately available to you.
• If you get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, your second dose must be the same type of vaccine you got in the first dose. You cannot get a Pfizer vaccine for the first dose and Moderna for the second or vice versa.

To learn more about the three available vaccines, click here.

NeighborHealth and the general medical community all urge those 6 months and older to get vaccinated as soon as possible. For our vaccination screening form, click here.

COVID-19 isn’t just infecting healthy young people; it is causing serious illness and death. Adolescents have been hospitalized for COVID-19 at nearly three times the typical rate for flu, and almost one-third needed intensive care, as reported by the CDC. Everyone aged 6 months and older should get vaccinated as soon as possible.

No, you do not need to be a patient. We offer COVID-19 vaccination to all eligible adults, regardless of patient status, immigration status, insurance status, or ability to pay.

NeighborHealth offers COVID-19 vaccination by appointment in our primary care departments and at vaccination clinics. We welcome patients as well as non-patients 6 months and older.

We urge community members who are not yet vaccinated to call 617-568-4500 to schedule an appointment or visit vaxfinder.mass.gov for other options.

The federal government provides the COVID-19 vaccine to you with no out-of-pocket cost. Insurance may be billed an administration fee, but you will not be responsible for this cost.

In general, people are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine. If you don’t meet these requirements, regardless of your age, you are NOT fully vaccinated. Keep taking all precautions until you are fully vaccinated.

The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older — including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or who might become pregnant in the future — get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Compared to non-pregnant people, pregnant and recently pregnant people are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, including illness that requires hospitalization, intensive care, a ventilator or special equipment to breathe, or illness that results in death. Having certain underlying medical conditions and other factors, including age, can further increase a pregnant person’s risk for developing severe COVID-19. Additionally, changes that occur in the body during pregnancy that increase the risk for severe illness can continue after pregnancy. Pregnant people with COVID-19 are also at increased risk for preterm birth and might be at increased risk for other poor pregnancy outcomes.

Vaccines provide the best protection against COVID-19. It is important for pregnant people and those who live with or visit them to take steps to protect themselves. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe for people who are pregnant, including those early in pregnancy. Additionally, there is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men. Many people have become pregnant after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, including some who got vaccinated during COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. If you have questions about getting vaccinated, please speak with your health care provider.

If you already had or may have had COVID-19, you should still get vaccinated. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, you should still get the vaccine.

As your health care provider, know that we trust the rigorous science behind these vaccines. We urge you to get the facts about vaccine safety and efficacy, and would be happy to talk to you about the COVID-19 vaccine.

People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are much less likely to get infected than unvaccinated people. While COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, they are not perfect. CDC research shows that when infections do happen in vaccinated people, the symptoms are less severe.

If you think you might have COVID-19 symptoms, get tested, even if you have been vaccinated. COVID-19 symptoms can mimic the symptoms of the flu or cold. Both the flu and COVID-19 can give you a fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat, body aches and a runny or stuffy nose. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children). The only way to know if you have COVID-19 or the flu (or both) is to get tested. Schedule your appointment online or call us at 617-568-4500.

Fully vaccinated people should isolate if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days or are having COVID-19 symptoms. A person could be infected just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. Research shows vaccinated people who still get infections after being fully vaccinated have a less detectable virus (viral load) than unvaccinated people who get infected.

If you have been vaccinated and later test positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms, isolate for 10 days and follow the same guidelines as someone who is unvaccinated and tests positive. The level of virus in the nose and droplets are not as contagious in a vaccinated person, but you will still need to take precautions so that you do not infect others.

Yes. The reason public health officials are calling for more mask-wearing is that there is clear and increasing evidence that COVID-19 infections can occur in people who are fully vaccinated. The good news is that if it does happen, it is much less likely to lead to serious illness or death in vaccinated people.

Infections are more likely in a vaccinated person when more people in their community have COVID-19, there is a lower rate of people being vaccinated, and the symptoms are more contagious. If vaccinated people can get infected with COVID-19, they can also spread it, which is why the CDC recommends that vaccinated people remain masked in indoor public spaces to help stop the spread.

While most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-COVID conditions. Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after they are first infected. Even people who did not have COVID-19 symptoms in the days or weeks after they were infected can have post-COVID conditions. These conditions can present as different types and combinations of health problems for different lengths of time.

These post-COVID conditions may also be known as long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, long-term effects of COVID, or chronic COVID. The CDC and other experts around the world are working to learn more about short- and long-term health effects associated with COVID-19, who gets them, and why.

Don’t travel until you are fully vaccinated (meaning at least 2 weeks have passed since your last dose of COVID-19 vaccine). People traveling within the US do NOT need to get tested or self-quarantine if they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 in the past 3 months.

People traveling outside of the US should learn about the COVID-19 restrictions at their destination.

We update our website with pandemic and vaccine information from verified medical sources such as the Massachusetts Public Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control. To receive our COVID-19 updates by email, click here.