BIPOC COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Shot Clinics

Vermont Health Equity Initiative’s clinics are back! Booster shots are now available! Fill out the BIPOC COVID-19 Vaccination clinic registration form below:

Pfizer Booster Shot

Booster Shots Now Approved for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccination recipients. Read the CDC October 20 Press Release here.

All vaccinated community members who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) age 12+ and their households are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot.

 

Booster Shot Eligibility

The Vermont Health Equity Initiative announces their continued commitment to providing COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot clinics for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Vermonters and their households beginning November 6.

Determine if you are eligible to receive the COVID-19 Booster Shot:

 
 

Pfizer-BioNTech & Moderna Recipients

You can get a booster shot if you received your second dose of vaccine at least six months ago and are

  • 65 or older.

  • 18 or older with certain medical conditions.

  • 18 or older who work in a high-risk setting.

  • 18 or older and are Black, Indigenous or a person of color (BIPOC) or are age 18 or older and live with someone who is BIPOC.

Johnson & Johnson Recipients

You can get a booster shot if you received your vaccine at least two months ago.

Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccination

Our clinics also administer the Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccination.

Unvaccinated community members who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) age 12+ and their households are eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot.

 

Pfizer Vaccine Eligibility

The Vermont Health Equity Initiative announces their continued commitment to providing COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot clinics for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Vermonters and their households beginning November 6.

Determine if you are eligible to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine:

 
 

Pfizer-BioNTech & Moderna Recipients

You can get a booster shot if you received your second dose of vaccine at least six months ago and are

  • 65 or older.

  • 18 or older with certain medical conditions.

  • 18 or older who work in a high-risk setting.

  • 18 or older and are Black, Indigenous or a person of color (BIPOC) or are age 18 or older and live with someone who is BIPOC.

Johnson & Johnson Recipients

You can get a booster shot if you received your vaccine at least two months ago.

Location

The BIPOC Clinics are being hosted in partnership with the Vermont Department of Health and Community Health Centers of Burlington at: 

Cathedral Church of St. Paul
2 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05401
 

Cost

Vaccines are free at the BIPOC Clinics. No insurance is required or billed.

 

Dates

The clinics operate on the following Saturdays*:

November 6, 2021

November 20, 2021

December 4, 2021

December 18, 2021

January 8, 2022

January 22, 2022

February 5, 2022

February 19, 2022

*dependent on vaccine availability. Dates and times are subject to change.

 
 

Information Needed for Registration:

  • Name and date of birth of qualified BIPOC individual

  • Names and dates of birth of all household members who want to be vaccinated

  • Contact information for the household

  • Any language interpretation needs, if needed

You will be asked for more detailed information at the clinic. Exact location and timing will be provided upon sign-up.

Important Notes

  • The BIPOC COVID-19 Clinics are currently distributing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and Pfizer booster shot.

  • The vaccines at the BIPOC Clinics are free. No insurance is required or billed.

  • If receiving your first Pfizer vaccination dose, you will need to return for your second shot between 21 and 28 days after your first dose. Consider this when scheduling your first shot.

  • If receiving your booster shot, you will need to be eligible at the time of scheduling. If you are still within the 6 month timeframe (Pfizer or Moderna) or two week timeframe (Johnson & Johnson), you need to wait until you are eligible to schedule an appointment.

  • Please be on time for your appointment.

  • To safely receive the vaccine, you must be 14 days symptom-free post a COVID-19 infection and cannot be in quarantine. This condition must be met to qualify for the vaccine.

  • Please note before you book an appointment that having received any time of vaccine within the past 14 days will disqualify you from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • You must be 12 years of age or older to receive the vaccine. This may change in the coming months, so sign up for our newsletter to stay tuned.

  • You are not eligible to receive the vaccine (prime or booster) if you have had either an immediate allergic reaction (such as hives or respiratory distress) or a severe allergic reaction (anaphalaxis) to a prior COVID-19 vaccine.

What to Expect

1) Arrive at the Clinic

Upon arriving at the clinic at your scheduled appointment time, you will be greeted by our team and directed to the check-in table.

2) Patient Intake

You will then meet with a member of our clinic staff to review health screening questions and answer any questions you may have.

3) Get Vaccinated

Our team will direct you to the vaccination area with a medical professional for your COVID-19 vaccination or booster shot.

4) Observation

You will wait 15 minutes for observation following the vaccine. Once cleared to leave, you’re free to leave with your updated vaccination card.

For First Dose Recipients Only: Upon clearance to leave, you will return 21 days later for your second dose. Two weeks after your second shot, you are considered fully vaccinated.

Vaccine Information + Details

Facts

  • The vaccine does not treat COVID-19, it helps your body protect itself from COVID-19.

  • You cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine.

  • If you have already had COVID-19 you should still receive the vaccine.

  • The vaccine is not being mandated by federal or state government.

Immunity

Precautions will need to remain in place until enough people have received the vaccine, which will be many months from now. You will still need to:

  • Wear a mask

  • Wash hands

  • 6 feet apart from people outside your household

  • No group gatherings

Allergies

  • Having allergies does not disqualify you from getting the vaccine.

  • If you have had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine or a medication (requiring you to seek immediate medical care) in the past, it is important to discuss with your doctor before getting the vaccine.

Effectiveness

  • For the vaccine to be effective, you need to receive both doses.

  • Effectiveness of the vaccine against the new variants is still being studied, and the results are promising. This is still being closely monitored and studied.

  • Clinical trials of the Pfizer vaccine among kids ages 12-15 showed that the vaccine is safe and effective for that age group. None of the children who got the Pfizer vaccine during the clinical trial got sick with COVID-19.

Side Effects

Mild side effects from the vaccine are common and do not mean you have COVID. Symptoms may include:

  • Flu-like symptoms for 24-36 hours  

  • Fatigue

  • Sore arm

  • Headache

These side effects are more likely after the second dose.

Children ages 12-15 have similar side effects as young adults. The most common side effects are:

  • Pain in the arm where the vaccine was given

  • Fever

  • Chills

  • Tiredness

Culturally Specific Information

  • The vaccine is Kosher.

  • The vaccine is Halal.

  • There is no human or animal material in the vaccine.

 
 

Frequently Asked Questions

For any additional questions please call: 802-755-7239

 

Who are BIPOC?

BIPOC includes anyone who is Black, Brown, Asian (AAPI or APIDA), Indigenous/First Nations/Abenaki, African American, Hispanic, Latino/Latina/Latinx, mixed race, or biracial. AAPI stands for Asian American and Pacific Islander. APIDA stands for Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American. Desi is a pan-ethnic term used to refer to people from South Asia.

When are you notified of an appointment?

Upon registration form submission, we will contact you when we have an appointment available for you and your household. We will work to schedule all registrants on a first-come, first served basis. We are currently working through a waitlist, so it may be several weeks until we have an available spot depending on the number of doses we receive from the Vermont Department of Health.

Is transportation available?

Free public transportation to vaccine clinics is available to Vermont residents who do not have their own transportation. Rides are coordinated by the Vermont Public Transportation Association. Volunteer drivers will use cars, vans or buses. All rides are ADA compliant and will accommodate people living with disabilities.

Please make a request at least 48 hours before your vaccine appointment. These rides are subject to the availability of transportation resources, so advance notice is necessary to make sure you will have a ride.

Rides are only available if you are not sick with COVID-19 (with symptoms or without symptoms) or are not a close contact of someone who has COVID-19. If you recently traveled, you need to follow the current travel rules before you can request a ride. If you fall into one of these categories, you will need to answer some questions to find out when you can use public transportation.

Find contact information for your local public transportation provider

These contact numbers can only be used to schedule transportation. People answering these lines cannot answer questions about vaccine scheduling or clinical questions related to COVID-19.