Massachusetts residents will get the vaccine in phases. Currently, we are in Phase 2:

• Clinical and non-clinical health care workers doing direct and COVID-facing care
• Long term care facilities, rest homes and assisted living facilities
• Emergency medical services, police, and fire
• Congregate care settings
• Home-based health care workers
• Health care workers doing non-COVID-facing care
• First responders
• Adults age 55 and older
• Adults who live or work in public and private low income and affordable senior housing
• People with 1 or more certain medical conditions that cause individuals to be at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19:
  • Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
  • Cancer
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  • Down Syndrome
  • Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
  • Obesity 
  • Severe Obesity 
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Smoking
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus
• K-12 Teachers
• Childcare Workers
• School Staff
• Restaurant or cafe workers
• Food, meatpacking, beverage, agriculture, consumer goods, retail, or food service workers
• Grocery and convenience store workers
• Food pantry workers or volunteers
• Medical supply chain workers
• Vaccine development workers
• Transit/transportation workers
• Public works, water, wastewater, or utility workers
• Sanitation workers
• Public health workers
• Court system workers
• Funeral directors and funeral workers

Please bring the following to your vaccination appointment in order to be vaccinated:

• Legal Photo ID (if you do not possess any kind of ID, please ask to speak with a manager so and you will be able to be vaccinated).
• Insurance card if you have insurance.

If patient is age 16 or 17

• A Parent/Legal Guardian MUST accompany the patient (or an authorized adult MUST accompany the patient with a signed consent and authorization letter from the legal guardian authorizing that adult to bring the patient (click here for authorization form).
• The parent/guardian must bring photo ID and consent for patient:
  • English Consent Form
  • Spanish Consent Form
• All patients must be at least 16 years of age on vaccination date.
• Please alert check-in staff if a minor is getting vaccinated.

For your vaccination appointment, please be aware:

• Masks are required at all times.
• Do NOT arrive for an appointment if you have any COVID-like symptoms (fever, cough, GI, upset) or were exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

Updated April 15, 2021: In accordance with direction from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) to all vaccine providers statewide, Lawrence General Hospital has implemented a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine effective April 13. This pause follows a recommendation from the FDA and CDC as they study reports of an extremely rare blood clotting condition reported in six of the more than 6.8 million recipients of the J&J vaccine nationwide. Out of an abundance of caution, DPH and vaccine providers nationwide are pausing J&J as health experts review the data.

The Lawrence General vaccine team continues administering doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (which have not been linked to conditions like those being reviewed in connection with the J&J vaccine).  This means if you have an upcoming appointment scheduled to receive your COVID-19 vaccine with Lawrence General, this pause of J&J doses will not have any impact on your appointment and you will receive either Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The CDC and FDA say people who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.

View more on the J&J vaccine pause at: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/joint-cdc-and-fda-statement-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine
 

Once the vaccine is widely available you can check with your primary care provider. Information will also be available on the Massachusetts DPH website.

The vaccine is being provided free of charge to all individuals by the federal government. Insurance companies are also committed to not charging any out-of-pocket fees or co-payments. Insurance companies will be charged a small administration fee.

Second doses will be scheduled on-site when you arrive for your first dose.
 
For individuals receiving Pfizer vaccine, their 2^nd dose will be scheduled on 17-21 days after their 1^st dose (with the day of the 1^st dose counted as Day 1) per FDA guidelines.
 
For individuals receiving MODERNA vaccine, their second dose will be scheduled on 24-28 days after their first dose (with the day of the first dose counted as Day 1), per FDA guidelines.
 
Per CDC guidelines, the second dose may be pushed out as far as 42 days if individuals are unable to receive the second dose in the recommended timeframe.
 
Please refer to  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html for more info.

It is an injection into a muscle in your upper arm with 2 doses. For Pfizer, the two doses are given 21 days apart with a grace period of 4 days. For Moderna, the two doses are given one month apart. There is not enough data on safety and efficacy for either vaccine to be taken together.

• Mild side effects: Fever less than 100 degrees, muscle ache, headache.
• Moderate side effects: Fever more than 101 degrees, muscle ache, headache.
• Mild allergy such as itching and redness at the injection site.

If you are experiencing symptoms such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell, these are not side effects of the vaccine and could be symptoms of COVID-19. Please call your primary care office if you experience any of these symptoms for risk assessment and testing.

Please seek urgent medical care for moderate to severe allergy after injection; symptoms include wheezing, facial swelling, throat closing, trouble breathing, chest pain/palpitations, or dizziness.

Yes, individuals with chronic illness were part of the clinical trials and the vaccine was recommended.

Yes, if you have no other contraindications to vaccine. However, there is no data on safety and efficacy. You may want to discuss with your medical provider.

Yes, people with chronic illness were part of the clinical trials and the vaccine was recommended.

No, the vaccine may prevent you from getting the virus, but neither will actually cure the virus. You should wear your mask, practice social distancing, and continue active hand washing after receiving the vaccine.

We don’t know how long the immunity lasts at this time.

In most cases, not yet. Please contact your primary care doctor's office to find out. 

No.

No.

No, this is false information.