For you. For your family. For your neighborhoods.

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 vaccines. 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.

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, most people ages 5+ are considered fully vaccinated when they have received 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Children ages 6 mo – 4 yrs are up to date when they have received all recommended doses prior to this year, and at least 1 dose of the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine. If your child doesn’t fall into this category, they will need 1 or 2 covid 2024-2025 vaccines, depending on vax history. 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.

See more info here: CDC – Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick

You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:

• Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
• You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).

When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors. This is especially important to protect people with factors that increase their risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses.

• Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better. You are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors like how long you were sick or how sick you were.
• If you develop a fever or you start to feel worse after you have gone back to normal activities, stay home and away from others again until, for at least 24 hours, both are true: your symptoms are improving overall, and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). Then take added precaution for the next 5 days.

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.

Effective June 12, 2022, in accordance with updated CDC guidance, air passengers traveling to the United States are no longer required to show a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding.

Effective April 18, 2022, as a result of a change in federal policy, masks are no longer required on public transportation including on the MBTA (except on The Ride), commuter rail, buses, ferries, and airplanes, or while in rideshares (Uber and Lyft), taxis, and livery vehicles. Face coverings are also no longer required inside or outside of transportation hubs, including train stations, bus stops, and airports.

For more information about masks, visit mass.gov/MaskUp.

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.