How to schedule your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine
Updated June 1, 2021

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on May 10 that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was granted emergency use authorization for children ages 12-15, adding to its previous approval for 16- and 17-year-olds.

You can schedule your child's vaccine appointment through California’s MyTurn.ca.gov (enter the zip code 95819 to find UC Davis Health). You can also call our Patient Contact Center at 916-703-5555 for help with scheduling. The office is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Pfizer is the only approved vaccine for children ages 12-17. For those who are under 18 years old, they will need to have a parent or legal guardian provide consent for treatment at their appointment. UC Davis Health accepts written or verbal consent. It's also advised that anyone under age 18 have someone drive them to and from their appointment. With any vaccine, there's an increased risk of fainting for children ages 11 to 18, according to the CDC.

At UC Davis Health, we are using all two approved COVID-19 vaccines (from Pfizer and Moderna). Unfortunately, you do not get to choose which vaccine maker’s product you receive – just like you don't choose with other vaccinations for flu, measles, etc. We also can't predict exactly which vaccine will be available at any given time. All vaccines we offer are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) and are highly effective at preventing serious infections or hospitalization caused by the virus.

Additionally, Pfizer is the only approved vaccine for 12- to 17-year-olds. UC Davis Health is not currently using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at our clinics.

UC Davis Health is currently only using Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and is not using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in clinics. We haven't used much Johnson & Johnson at UC Davis Health vaccine clinics (about 10% of vaccinations).

Learn more about UC Davis Health's pause on Johnson & Johnson

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars are free to Americans, according to the CDC. However, vaccine providers can charge administration fees for giving the vaccine to people. Providers can get this fee reimbursed by a patient’s private or public insurance company. For those who are uninsured, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund can reimburse the provider.

If you need to reschedule or cancel your vaccine appointment, please call our Patient Contact Center at 916-703-5555. The office is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Uninsured: Yes, you can schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment without insurance. You will leave that field empty (or enter N/A) when scheduling your appointment. We may ask you some questions about your insurance coverage when you arrive, but this will not prevent you from being vaccinated.

Non-UC Davis Health insurance: Yes, you can schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment if your insurance does not cover UC Davis Health. You will leave that field empty (or enter N/A) when scheduling your appointment. Please bring your insurance card with you to your vaccination appointment.

Experts recommend that you wait 90 days after all COVID-19 symptoms have disappeared before getting your first shot. Even after symptoms are gone, you still have some antibodies from your body’s fight with the disease. The waiting period will help keep your reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine more mild. Talk to your physician if you have question about the timing on when you should get a COVID-19 vaccine after infection.

The second COVID-19 vaccine is important because it boosts your immunity and causes immunity to last longer. A recent CDC study looked at people age 65 and older and found that protection increased from 64% to 94% after full vaccination.

Learn more about why you need to get your second vaccine

After you receive your first dose at our vaccination clinic, you will be able to schedule your second dose during your 15-minute waiting period after you get your shot. 

Second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are planned 21 or 28 days after the first doses for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, respectively. However, the state has directed as many patients as possible to receive the first dose in order to expand protection. As a result, your second dose may be scheduled several days later. While there’s a chance this could happen, you don’t have to worry, according to the CDC. Like with other vaccines, the second vaccination is a booster shot. This increases your level of protection by further teaching your body what the virus looks like, so it can respond quickly.

As with other vaccinations, there’s no indication that a delay in receiving the booster shot reduces effectiveness. The timing of the second shot is not strictly critical. The CDC advises that you can receive the second COVID-19 vaccine up to 42 days (or 6 weeks) after the first dose.

At this time, we are not scheduling second doses to those who have recieved their first COVID-19 vaccine at another location. Vaccines are allocated to have a second dose at the same site as the first dose. We encourage everyone to schedule their second vaccine at the same location as their first.

We are currently vaccinating anyone ages 12 and older. COVID-19 vaccinations are provided by appointment only. The number of appointments we can offer is based on vaccine supplies. As more vaccines become available, more appointments will open.

While we are vaccinating large numbers of people, we're also reaching out separately to members of at-risk and hard-to-reach groups to ensure they have the opportunity to be vaccinated as well.

As a UC Davis Health patient, you should not receive a bill from UC Davis Health for any COVID-19 vaccine. UC Davis Health may bill your insurance for delivery of the vaccine, but there should be no out-of-pocket costs to you for getting a COVID-19 vaccination.

We are currently scheduling patients through the state of California's MyTurn.ca.gov.

Second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are planned 3 to 4 weeks after the first doses for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, respectively. However, the state has directed as many patients as possible to receive the first dose in order to expand protection. As a result, there may be a lag period of days or weeks before patients can receive the second dose.

We are currently vaccinating patients at one location not far from our Sacramento campus. When you schedule your vaccination appointment, you will be given the exact location.

In keeping with our outpatient clinic policy, only one essential caregiver or loved one may accompany patients. Patients and essential caregivers must wear face masks at all times during their appointment.

Patients need to schedule an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine. We are not accepting walk-ins. UC Davis Health patients can schedule an appointment through MyUCDavisHealth. If you haven't already, please sign up for MyUCDavisHealth, which is available on desktop or as an app on your mobile device.