COVID-19 Vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control and prevention recently approved the Novavax vaccine for use in the United States. The 2-dose vaccine is approved for unvaccinated individuals ages 18 and older. LCDHE clinics will begin offering the Novavax vaccine at our Loveland and Fort Collins clinics beginning Monday, August 1st.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also approved COVID-19 vaccinations for children 6 months to 5 years of age. LCDHE clinics are currently offering vaccinations for those 5 and under at our Loveland and Fort Collins locations.
To schedule an appointment, please call 970-498-6700 during business hours.
To make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination, please call the Larimer County Department of Health & Environment at 970-498-6700 during business hours. For after hours appointment requests, please complete this form.
If all slots are full, please check back soon.
For general questions about COVID-19, please call 970-498-5500.
FAQs
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Larimer County coordinates with local organizations to ensure resources are available to assist with public health volunteer needs. You can also register as a volunteer with these Colorado organizations.
- Medical and health professions: The Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer is currently working to recruit and train individuals from the following areas: Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists, Respiratory Therapists, EMT/Paramedics, Behavioral/Mental Health and Veterinary/animal response to name a few, to respond to "all-hazards" incidents.
- Non-medical volunteers: Please sign up with Volunteers of America Colorado to be contacted to volunteer at community vaccination sites in Larimer County.
- Non-medical volunteers can sign up here with the Larimer County Health Department to be contacted if volunteers are needed for other COVID-19 response activities in Larimer County.
- Register to volunteer to help in Colorado through the Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, Department of Public Safety.
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The FDA requires that vaccines undergo a rigorous scientific process, including three phases of clinical trials, before they authorize or approve a vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccines are subject to the same safety standards as other vaccine trials.
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To date, the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board overseeing Phase 3 trials of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines has not identified or reported any serious safety concerns. All phase 3 studies have Data Safety and Monitoring Boards. The boards are made up of independent scientists hired by the company to look at the safety data and check at regular intervals whether the company should cancel or continue with the study.
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Additionally, two independent advisory committees will review a vaccine’s safety data before it is made available to the public. These committees are the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), which advises the FDA, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the CDC.
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Learn more about the Vaccine safety and development process.
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You will not be immediately protected from COVID-19 when you first receive the vaccine. Studies show that it takes about two weeks after your last dose of the initial vaccine series for your body to be able to protect itself against illness. For booster doses, a person is considered protected and "up-to-date" with their vaccination immediately after receiving the booster.
Current information suggests it is possible that someone who has been vaccinated against COVID-19 may still have a mild or asymptomatic infection or spread the virus to others.
While no vaccine is 100% effective, the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Jonhson vaccines are highly effective for preventing severe COVID-19 illness, hospitalization, and death.
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Employers may be able to require COVID-19 vaccination for in-person work for their employees, but an employee may be entitled to an exemption through the ADA and Civil Rights Act of 1964. The state of Colorado is not currently pursuing any mandates. The U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission has more information on this on their website.
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Feeling a little under the weather in the day or two after getting a vaccine is quite normal. Pain at the site the shot was given is common.
It's common to have flu-like symptoms like muscle aches, fatigue, chills, and fever after the injection. It's more common to have these symptoms after the second shot, but they can still happen after the first. These symptoms can be managed by resting, drinking lots of fluids, and taking over-the-counter medications like tylenol or ibuprofen unless your doctor has told you in the past not to take these types of medications. If the symptoms don't go away after 1-2 days, or if you have any concerns about their duration or severity, we recommend that you reach out to your physician for further guidance.Severe reactions are rare. If you believe you are having a serious reaction the a vaccine, please contact your healthcare provider for advice. If you would like to report an adverse (bad) reaction to a vaccine, you can do so through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). VAERS is an early-warning system that collects and analyzes reports of any problems that happen after vaccination. Anyone can submit a report, including parents, patients, and health care professionals.
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Yes. For additional FAQs, please visit the Colorado Health Department website.
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The AstraZeneca vaccine is not currently available in the United States. For those who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and were unable to complete the full series, the CDC recommends receiving 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna). Those who will be completing their vaccine series with the mRNA vaccines should receive their first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine no sooner than 28 days after their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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The Novavax vaccine is currently a 2-dose primary series. No boosters or additional doses have been approved for the Novavax vaccine at this time, including additional doses of other COVID-19 vaccines.
