COVID-19 FAQs

The following website will help you locate all vaccine clinics near you: https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/vaccine.

A list of upcoming Health Department vaccine clinics can be found here: vaccine.howardcountymd.gov.

All Marylanders ages 6 months and older are eligible for vaccine at all state vaccination sites (depending on vaccine supply). Appointments are still required at some vaccine locations.

1. All Marylanders ages 6 months and older are eligible for vaccine at any state vaccination site (depending on vaccine supply).

2. The Health Department typically offers all three vaccines at its clinics. Visit vaccine.howardcountymd.gov to confirm the vaccine supply at a Health Department clinic.

3. Appointments are still required at some vaccination sites.

1. An updated list of vaccine clinics is posted on our website weekly and can be found here: vaccine.howardcountymd.gov.

2. Appointments are encouraged, but many vaccine clinics also offer walk-up vaccinations (while supplies last).

1. Somone can complete the pre-registration survey for you and use their email address to help monitor communications about upcoming vaccination clinics and appointment instructions. 

2. You can also call 410-313-6284 for assistance completing the Howard County Health Department survey and call 855-MD-GoVAX (855-634-6829) for assistance from the state of Maryland. 

When you make a vaccine appointment, someone can come with you to help you. They would also be able to receive vaccine, if eligible.

Hospitals and some healthcare providers have vaccine available for patients. You should visit the website or call your healthcare providers (or the hospital where you are a patient) to determine their vaccine availability and how to make an appointment.

1. Each vaccination site in the State has different procedures for vaccine administration. You should contact the vaccine site directly to determine eligibility requirements.

2. Anyone interested in and eligible to receive vaccine is encouraged to contact multiple vaccination sites for the best chance to secure a vaccine appointment. 

3. The Howard County Health Department provides vaccine to anyone eligible to receive vaccine based on their age.

The following two website have some information available in alternative languages:  https://covidlink.maryland.gov/content/vaccine/#maryland has information in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Creole and Korean.

Each of the vaccines authorized for use by the FDA have been proven to be safe and effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. 

UPDATE 5/5/2022: The FDA Limits Use of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine to Certain Individuals. Read the full news release here.

Some Health Department clinics have begun to offer walk-up appointments. Please check our website vaccine.howardcountymd.gov to confirm an appointment is not required.

Updated clinics are posted weekly. Please continue to check our vaccine page for new appointment availability.

If you missed your second scheduled Moderna vaccine appointment, call 410-313-6284 or email dose2@howardcountymd.gov to schedule a new appointment.

You can also visit any Health Department walk-up vaccine clinic to receive your second dose if you have missed your scheduled second dose Moderna appointment.

After completing your on-site registration for your second vaccine dose, you will receive a confirmation email from "Vaccination Clinics " with the details of your second dose appointment. You will receive a reminder email 24 hours before your second dose appointment from the same email address. If you have received this message, your second dose is confirmed and you do not need to do anything else. If you have not received the confirmation message, please check your spam folder. If you cannot locate your second dose appointment confirmation, you can call us at 410-313-6284 or email dose2@howardcountymd.gov.

The FDA and CDC authorized booster shots of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for all individuals age 18 and older (age 5 for Pfizer). Please review the following information.

• If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you are eligible for any vaccine booster shot, if you are 18 years of age or older, two months following your initial vaccination.
• If you received the Moderna vaccine, you are eligible for the booster shot if you are 18 years of age or older, five months after your final vaccination. 
• If you received the Pfizer vaccine, you are eligible for the booster shot if you are 5 years of age or older, five months after your final vaccination. **Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for adolescents ages 5-17, including booster shots.**

Individuals can go to any vaccination site. This includes: state vaccination sites, local health departments, pharmacies, retail stores, and other healthcare providers. You can find a list of Health Department clinics here.

Though no proof or doctor's note will be required at HCHD-run clinics, individuals will be asked to self-attest that they are eligible for a booster shot. Documentation of your previous vaccine series will be required. Either bring your vaccine card or verify your vaccine information has been accurately recorded in Immunet, the State of Maryland Immunization database. Individuals should talk to their healthcare provider about their specific situation, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.

Currently, CDC is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional dose. This includes people who have:

• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.

CDC Vaccine Recommendations for Immunocompromised People

Moderately and severely immunocompromised people aged ≥18 years who completed an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine primary series and received an additional mRNA vaccine dose may receive a single COVID-19 booster dose (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Janssen) at least 6 months after completing their third mRNA vaccine dose. In such situations, people who are moderately and severely immunocompromised may receive a total of four COVID-19 vaccine doses. Click here for more information.

First, people should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.

Individuals can go to any vaccination sites offering the mRNA vaccine they received for their first two doses. This includes: state vaccination sites, local health departments, pharmacies, retail stores, and other healthcare providers. You can find a list of Health Department clinics here.

There are now booster recommendations for all three available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States. Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose. Some people may have a preference for the vaccine type that they originally received and others may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.

UPDATE 12/16/2021: The CDC has updated its recommendations, expressing a clinical preference for individuals to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine over Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. Read the full media statement here.

If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you are eligible for any vaccine booster shot, if you are 18 years of age or older, two months following your initial vaccination.

The CDC and FDA have authorized a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine five months after the initial vaccine series and the Moderna vaccine six months after the initial vaccine series. Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for a booster shot two months after their initial vaccine dose.

Exception: CDC recommends the additional dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine be administered to immunocompromised people at least four weeks after a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

There is limited information about the risks of receiving an additional dose of vaccine, and the safety, efficacy, and benefit of additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine in immunocompromised people continues to be evaluated. So far, reactions reported after the third mRNA dose were similar to that of the two-dose series: fatigue and pain at injection site were the most commonly reported side effects, and overall, most symptoms were mild to moderate.

If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you are eligible for any vaccine booster shot, if you are 18 years of age or older, two months following your initial vaccination.

Yes. In-home vaccination is available through the Health Department. Please call 410-313-6284 to schedule an appointment. 

No. COVID-19 vaccines are working well to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death, even against the variants. However, public health experts are starting to see reduced protection, especially among certain populations, against mild and moderate disease. The CDC recommends staying up-to-date with your vaccines by getting a booster shot, when eligible.

You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines when you have received all doses in the primary series and one booster when eligible, according to the CDC.

• Getting a second booster is not necessary to be considered up to date at this time.
• The recommendations will be different depending on your age, your health status, what vaccine you first received, and when you first got vaccinated.

The Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson booster shots are identical to the original vaccine dose. The Moderna booster shot is half of the dose received during the initial vaccine series. The make-up of the vaccine is the same for all booster doses.

The CDC updated its recommendations so that Pfizer and Moderna second boosters are now recommended for adults age 50 and older and people age 12 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised who received an initial booster dose at least 4 months ago.

Separately and in addition, based on newly published data, adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago should now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.