How to find a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in your area

The data is in, and COVID-19 vaccines are working. They were injected outside the initial trials into tons of people around the world and found to be safe and effective. Each of the three available vaccines uses unique technologies to stimulate an immune response in your body, but none of them contain a live virus in your arm. In short, they can not make you sick with COVID-19.

Vaccinations, along with social distance, masks and smart policy decisions regarding the reopening of businesses, will be our ticket to this hellish mass experience. But getting a vaccine is difficult, and how you can do it varies greatly depending on where you live.

States, territories and our one state-like district (DC) all have a wide margin to draw up their own COVID-19 policies and procedures. Advice and routes for a COVID-19 vaccine will vary depending on which part of the United States you live in, but we have put together a guide that will give you an accurate overview of how to get the jab.

Step 1: Determine your place in the queue

Some people are eligible to receive a vaccine earlier than others. The CDC has issued guidelines to prioritize certain groups according to age and occupation, but these are proposals, not federal legislation. States make the final decision and prioritize groups of people slightly differently. You should check the guidelines of your own state, but we have summarized the outline of the CDC below, which should provide some guidance. In order from front to back of line:

• First group (1a): Healthcare staff and residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.
• Second group (1b): People 75 years and older if they are not yet in a long-term care facility. Also essential jobs up front, such as firefighters, educators (including teachers, daycare workers and support staff), grocery store employees, public transport, postal workers, food and agricultural workers, manufacturers, police officers and corrections.
• Third group (1c): People from 65 to 74 years old if they are not yet in a long-term care facility. People aged 16 to 64 years with underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of COVID-19. Also non-frontline essential workers, such as “people working in transportation and logistics, food service, housing construction and finance, information technology, communications, energy, legislation, media, public safety and public health,” according to the CDC.
• Fourth Group: Everyone else.

Absent from any guidance obtained by CDC, mention is made of prisoners who are ripe for COVID-19 outbreaks due to nearby locations.

Step 2: Check the implementation process of your state

There is no federal or nationally centralized list on which to apply for a vaccine. Each state, territory and free associated state has enrollment information available on the websites of the Department of Health.

Here is a list of health department websites for each state.

Some health department websites are more helpful than others, and offer telephone hotlines, direct checklists and fitness checkers to indicate if you can get another vaccine, if you answer a few questions about your age, gender, occupation and health conditions. Other states simply refer you to a list of vaccination providers to call yourself.

Step 3: Find places where you can be vaccinated

Check out VaccineFinder, built by Boston Children’s Hospital and the CDC, to find available vaccines in your area follow his Twitter account for updates. Other places to check out include:

• Doctor’s offices, hospitals and urgent care centers
• A community health center
• State and local health departments. Find yours on the Vaccine Finder of the CDC’s health department or in this list of links. Vaccination sites are the best: they can be MLB and NFL stadiums, mobile clinics, conference centers or cities’ public health clinics.
• CVS, Walgreens, Costco, Walmart, Rite Aid, Kroger, Publix, Safeway, Albertsons and other pharmacies, retail stores and groceries can offer vaccinations through their own websites and processes. HEB in Texas will also receive more doses. Target (in partnership with CVS), Winn-Dixie and Hy-Vee are also on the list to offer vaccinations.

Many vaccination sites work by appointment. If there are websites that will send you text messages or emails when appointments are available, you can sign up for one or more of them.

A vaccination room provided by the government, such as a community health center or public health department, can be a safer bet if you are concerned about medical bills that surprise you or do not want to reveal your citizenship or immigration status. They tend to be free too. In our research for this article, we found that many of them say on their websites that they do not ask for health insurance information, proof of insurance or immigration status. Check your local facilities to make sure.