People age 16 and older who live, work, or study in Massachusetts can get vaccinated and, effective immediately, providers in Massachusetts may begin to administer the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to individuals age 12 and older. The COVID-19 vaccine is free and one of the best ways to protect yourself and those around you from getting sick from COVID-19. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated.
To find a location, we recommend the following:
Online:
By Phone:
The City of Cambridge and the Cambridge Public Health Department recognize that there are many questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
The available COVID-19 vaccines are approved and recommended by the FDA and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices following standard testing and approval processes. By prioritizing resources and efforts, the vaccines were developed quickly and never at the expense of safety. More vaccine safety information is available in this flyer and at mass.gov/COVIDVaccineSafety
The Cambridge Public Health Department has provided the following "Frequently Asked Questions," created from a variety of reputable sources, which can help us all do our part to learn more and debunk untrue and dangerous claims. The below are current as of April 29, 2021. Please visit Massachusetts COVID-19 Vaccine Information for the most up-to-date information.
Yes, all three vaccines are very effective. While the vaccines made by the three companies cannot be compared directly because of differences in the way they were developed and studied, they all offer excellent protection and are all effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalizations and death.
Yes, all of the vaccines are safe.
On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) paused use of the J&J vaccine after receiving reports of a very small number of women who developed a rare and severe type of blood clot after receiving the J&J COVID-19 vaccine.
During the pause, medical and scientific teams at the FDA and CDC examined available data to assess the risk of the rare blood clotting disorder associated with the J&J vaccine. It also gave federal health agencies time to educate the medical community about how to recognize and appropriately treat this rare disorder, known as thrombosis-thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).
On April 23, the CDC accepted the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to resume the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because they had confidence that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.
The decision was also based on the scientists’ conclusion that the benefits of the vaccine for the overall population far outweigh the rare risk of TTS, particularly now that the blood clotting disorder and treatment protocols are better understood.
As of April 23, federal health agencies had confirmed 15 cases of TTS out of nearly 8 million J&J vaccines administered. All cases occurred in women and most were between the ages of 18-49, with a median age of 37.
The panel also recommended that a warning label be added to the vaccine packaging noting the very rare blood clotting disorder risk.
No. For most people—including women under the age of 50—getting the first available COVID vaccine is the best thing you can do to safeguard your health. Your odds of contracting a possibly life-threatening case of COVID-19 are much higher than your odds of serious side effects from the vaccine.
However women under age 50 should be counseled about the rare risk of the blood clot disorder (TTS) after getting the J&J vaccine and should be told about the availability of other FDA-authorized vaccines. If, after being appropriately informed, a woman in the age group 18--50 years decides she would like the J & J vaccine, it is a very reasonable and safe choice.
People with a history of or personal risk for blood clots (including taking oral contraceptive pills) should speak with their health care provider about other COVID-19 vaccine options.
For more information on the safety and effectiveness of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the CDC website.
If you received the J&J shot, and have not developed any of the symptoms associated with the blood clotting disorder within three weeks, the risk of an adverse reaction is very unlikely. The symptoms of concern include:
People should seek medical care right away if they develop one or more of these symptoms.
This is how the vaccines were made so quickly:
The Pfizer vaccine is approved for children age 12 and older. Vaccine safety trials for children under age 12 are happening now but are not yet done. Children under age 12 will be able to get vaccinated once the vaccine is approved for them.
All Cambridge residents age 12 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated. Appointments and walk-in options are readily available.
If you have had an immediate allergic reaction - even if it was not severe - to a vaccine or injectable medication, ask your doctor if you should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
If you have allergies not related to vaccines or injectable medications - such as food, pet, venom, environmental or latex allergies - the CDC recommends that you get vaccinated. People with a history of allergies to oral medications may also get vaccinated.
All of the COVID-19 vaccines currently available, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnsen, can cause mild side effects after the first or second dose, including:
These reactions mean the vaccine is working to help teach your body how to fight COVID-19 if you are exposed. Most side effects happen within the first three days after you get the vaccine and last only one to two days.
The COVID-19 vaccine can cause an allergic reaction right after getting the vaccine, but very rarely. That’s why people are watched for 15 or 30 minutes after they receive the vaccine to make sure that they are not allergic.
The vaccines are being offered for free by the federal government. Doctors and insurance companies are not allowed to ask patients to pay for the vaccine.
You are fully vaccinated:
After you are fully vaccinated, you can do the following things safely:
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to take certain safety measures to protect others, as listed here.
No, the vaccine does not cause COVID-19. None of the approved COVID-19 vaccines were made with the virus.
People who have had COVID-19 should get the vaccine. That’s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19.
If you have had COVID-19, you should have completed isolation and have no symptoms of COVID-19 before getting the vaccine.
Some people might get sore muscles, feel tired, or have mild fever after getting the vaccine. These reactions mean the vaccine is working to help teach your body how to fight COVID-19 if you are exposed. For most people, these side effects will last no longer than a few days. If you have any concerns, call your doctor or nurse.
It depends upon what type of vaccine you receive.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots for you to have full protection.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one shot for you to have full protection.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should discuss this with their obstetric provider. The risk of Covid illness to pregnant women is high. While pregnant women were not initially included in vaccine trials, those women who became pregnant while in the vaccine trials were watched carefully, and did just fine after vaccination.
If you are breastfeeding, you can still get the vaccine and do not need to stop breastfeeding.
Is it safe for me to get a COVID-19 vaccine if I would like to get pregnant in the future?
Yes. People who want to get pregnant in the future may receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Based on current knowledge, experts believe that COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to pose a risk to a person trying to become pregnant, either now or in the future. Like other vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines are being studied carefully and will continue to be studied for many years. There is no evidence suggesting that fertility problems are a side effect of ANY of these vaccines.
The COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) being used currently in Massachusetts do not have any:
No. The COVID-19 vaccines currently being used in Massachusetts are “messenger RNA (mRNA)” vaccines.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a different type of vaccine (viral vector vaccine) and it also will not affect your DNA.
More information on how these vaccines work can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yes. The vaccine is free for all Massachusetts residents, including undocumented immigrants. Health insurance (including Medicare and Medicaid) will cover the cost of the vaccine for insured patients. People who do not have insurance will not be required to pay.
It is normal for viruses to change as they spread, and for new variants (or types) of viruses to appear. Scientists are working to learn more about the new variants— including if the vaccines we have—will protect against them.
Both the Pfizer and Modern vaccines were developed and studied before the new variants were discovered. Scientists believe that all three vaccines provide the same protection against the variant from the United Kingdom (known as B.1.1.7) as they do against the original virus.
All three vaccines are also effective against the South Africa variant (known as B.1.135) but the protection is not as strong as it is against the original virus or the United Kingdom variant.
Both Moderna and Pfizer are pursuing booster vaccines for the South Africa variant, as well as vaccines specifically targeted to this variant.
Information on vaccine efficacy for other variants of concern is not yet available.
Language translation services are available for all mass vaccination locations and many other vaccination locations.
For more information about the SCES vaccination transportation program, or to register for a ride, call SCES at 617-440-0995 or email info@eldercare.org.
The COVID-19 Response Command Center has been working with health care providers, local officials, pharmacies and others to set up additional COVID-19 vaccination sites across the Commonwealth, with a focus on accessibility and geographic equity.
As of April 19, 2021, people age 16 and older who live, work, or study in Massachusetts can get vaccinated.
Information will be updated as we receive it, and more information from the state can be found here.
Latest updates related to the COVID-19 Vaccine from the City and State.
Additional information on the COVID-19 Vaccine.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has an active inter-agency working group working to ensure an equitable and speedy distribution of COVID-19 vaccine to Massachusetts communities. View the latest vaccine updates in MA, including the vaccine prioritization plan, frequently asked questions, and information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and American Academy of Pediatrics, have put together additional Frequently Asked Questions about the vaccine which can be found as follows:
To help older residents get to their vaccine appointments, the State announced that individuals who accompany someone age 75 or older to get a vaccine at a mass vaccination site may also schedule and receive their own vaccination on the same day. They should go to mass.gov/covidvaccine and schedule two separate appointments at either the same time or adjacent. For the companion appointment, select the option ‘I am accompanying someone who is age 75+ to their vaccination appointment and my appointment is the same day.’ Transportation to vaccination sites is also available for elderly residents through Cambridge-Somerville Elder Services (SCES). For more information about the SCES vaccination transportation program, or to register for a ride, call SCES at 617-628-2601 or email info@eldercare.org.
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