COVID-19 Vaccines
Vaccine Updates
Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Now Recommended for Ages 65 Years and Older
On February 28, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices updated the US COVID-19 vaccine guidelines. Adults ages 65 years and older are now eligible to receive an additional dose of the updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after the previous dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine. Cone Health Community Pharmacy locations are now offering the additional dose to eligible individuals.
Cone Health Community Pharmacy locations and select Cone Health Medical Group practices offer the updated COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 years and older.
The Pfizer vaccine (Comirnaty) is available for ages 12 years and older. Updated COVID-19 vaccines are also available for ages 6 months-11 years for current patients at select Cone Health Medical Group practices.
CDC Recommendations
On September 12, 2023, the CDC recommended a COVID-19 vaccine updated for 2023-2024 for everyone aged 6 months and older to protect against serious illness.
The main reason to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is to protect yourself against severe illness, hospitalization, and even death. COVID-19 vaccines also reduce the chance of having Long COVID. This vaccine is expected to provide better protection against variants that are currently making people sick.
What You Need to Know
- Individuals 5 years of age and older regardless of previous vaccination are eligible to receive a single dose of an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months since the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.
- Individuals 6 months through 4 years of age who have previously been vaccinated against COVID-19 are eligible to receive one or two doses of an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (timing and number of doses to administer depends on the previous COVID-19 vaccine received).
- Individuals 65 years and older who have previously been vaccinated against COVID-19 are eligible to receive an additional dose of the updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after the previous dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
- Unvaccinated individuals 6 months through 4 years of age are eligible to receive three doses of the updated authorized Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or two doses of the updated authorized Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.
- The FDA is confident in the safety and effectiveness of these updated vaccines and the agency’s benefit-risk assessment demonstrates that the benefits of these vaccines for individuals 6 months of age and older outweigh their risks.
- Individuals who receive an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine may experience similar side effects as those reported by individuals who previously received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as described in the respective prescribing information or fact sheets.
Ages 12 Years and Older
- The vaccine is covered by most major insurances. Patient copays will apply.
NOTICE: State law requires written consent from a parent or legal guardian for any minor under the age of 16 prior to administrating any vaccine that has been granted emergency use authorization (EUA). This includes COVID vaccines since most remain under EUA for minors. Cone Health requires a Parental/Guardian Consent Form for all patients under the age of 18 years old. Parents/guardians must accompany the child to the appointment to provide consent.
Ages 6 Months - 11 Years
- Other Possible Locations: Check with your primary care provider and local health department about other locations providing vaccinations for this age group.
Complete information on Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Guidelines can be found on the CDC website here: COVID-19 Vaccination for Children | CDC
Additional Vaccine Locations
The state health department offers additional vaccination opportunities by ZIP code here.
Vaccine Card Replacement Information
Need to view or print your vaccine information? Go to the NCDHHS website and do it online.
Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness
Clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people for each vaccine have shown that the vaccines are extremely effective in preventing serious illness from COVID-19 with no serious safety concerns. Side effects reported include a sore arm at the injection site, fatigue, headache, chills and fever. While side effects are sometimes higher than for a typical flu vaccine, they are lower in many ways than side effects from the leading vaccine to prevent shingles.
Side effects are signs that a vaccine is working and are related to your immune system being stimulated to produce antibodies against infection. Side effects from vaccination are far less significant than health impacts from COVID-19.
Staying Informed
Pharmacists, infectious disease doctors, critical care nurses and other experts at Cone Health continue to speak publicly through media interviews and direct communication with our patients and communities about the safety, effectiveness and importance of vaccines to eliminate COVID-19. Get more facts about the COVID-19 vaccine from Cone Health experts on Wellness Matters.
In addition, reliable information on vaccine safety, effectiveness, side effects and more is available on the following websites:
