COVID-19 Vaccine and Booster Information

Updated: January 7, 2022

COVID-19 vaccine information

All available COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective at reducing the risk of COVID-19. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others. The vaccine is the best protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death, while helping to reduce the symptoms of infection and speed recovery.
Since we began administering COVID-19 vaccine in mid-December 2020, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is pleased to have provided over 300,000 vaccine doses
As availability of vaccine providers across the region has increased, the demand for large scale vaccination events has decreased. For information about vaccine availability near you or vaccine-only appointments we recommend visiting vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
Some of our Franciscan Medical Group clinics are now offering vaccine appointments for current patients. Current Virginia Mason Franciscan Health patients can call their primary care office or Franciscan Medical Group provider directly to see if they are scheduling vaccination appointments. Appointment availability will vary by location.

Patients who are looking for their COVID-19 vaccination records should visit the Washington State Department of Health’s website to access immunization information
Please continue to wash your hands, wear a mask, keep physical distance from others and stay home when you are unwell

Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine information

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is planning to provide vaccines across many of our pediatric and primary care clinics for our current patients, as well as through community partnerships. Please note: we do not yet have COVID-19 vaccine or appointments available for 5-11 year-old patients.

We recognize this is a very exciting time for our staff, patients and community. We are working as quickly as we can to get the 5-11 year-olds in our community vaccinated.

Once we receive the vaccine, our teams will work to package and distribute supply to many of our pediatric and primary care clinics and to set up vaccine schedules, generally during scheduled patient appointments. We will have more information on when appointments are available as vaccine supply is distributed.

We are also supporting several public vaccination events for the community and encourage them to check availability through these offerings:

City of Seattle vaccine clinic at the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle. The Amazon SuperVax clinic offers separate vaccine flows, fun giveaways, and kid-friendly entertainment
State of Washington Vaccine Finder: Once appointments are available, there will be a filter for finding sites that carry the new lower dose vaccine (Filter = Pfizer-BioNTech Pediatric - 5 yrs to 11 yrs”)
School vaccination sites
County Public Health

Community members not established with a Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Primary Care/Pediatric provider will be best served by Puget Sound community resources.

Vaccine booster information

At this time, everyone age 12 and older should get a COVID-19 booster, and everyone age 5 and older should get a primary COVID vaccine series. If the primary series was Pfizer, the booster should be given 5 months from the second dose.

Everyone age 5 and older should get vaccinated against COVID-19:

Pfizer: Age 5 and older
Moderna: Age 18 and older
Johnson and Johnson: Age 18 and older

The Washington State Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are recommending:

If the primary vaccination was with Johnson and Johnson over 2 months ago:

Anyone age 18 and older should get a booster with either Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson

If the primary vaccination series was with Pfizer over 5 months ago:

Anyone age 12 and older should get a booster with Pfizer
Anyone age 18 or older should get a booster with either Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson

If the primary vaccination series was with Moderna over 5 months ago:

Anyone age 18 and older should get a booster with either Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson

Mixing and matching types of vaccines for those age 18 and older

Adults can choose any vaccine for the booster dose, regardless of the initial vaccine given
Any vaccine booster is considered appropriate for protecting against COVID-19, and any booster produces better immunity than no booster

Who needs an additional COVID-19 vaccine?

Third dose: moderately to severely immunocompromised patients, aged ≥5, 28 days after getting the second Pfizer or Moderna dose.

Moderately to severely immunocompromised patients include those who have:

- Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndromes
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

Children aged 5-17 may only receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Adults aged 18 and over can receive either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. If unable to get the same mRNA vaccine as the original series, it is OK to get the other type of mRNA vaccine (i.e. if the original series was with Moderna, ideally the third dose should also be with Moderna, but can be with Pfizer if Moderna is not available).
Recipients of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine should receive a booster dose 2 months after their first, as outlined in the booster guidance above. There is no additional dose for Johnson and Johnson vaccine recipients.
The third dose of mRNA vaccines for immunocompromised patients is considered finishing their original series. Six months after their third dose, these patients are eligible for a booster dose.
Third doses are the same dosage as the original vaccine series for both Pfizer and Moderna (versus booster doses where Pfizer is the same and Moderna is half).

Eligible patients are recommended to obtain their booster/third dose through a community vaccine provider close to home, as our hospital and clinic vaccine supply is limited. If you are an immunocompromised patient in need of a third dose, please contact your primary care provider. A booster/third dose may also be available through your Virginia Mason Franciscan Health provider as part of a routine clinic visit; however supplies are limited.

Vaccination certificates and proof of vaccination

Digital vaccination certificates available. Washington State COVID-19 vaccination certificates for individuals and their family members are now available through Washington MyIR mobile. Full immunization records are available at WA.myIR.net. If you received the vaccine in Washington, you can register online to access your vaccination record. The DOH has created an informational flier on handling Vax Cards, available in English and Spanish, with more languages coming soon. (Note the certificates are located on the "Documents" page once the system links your record — they are not under "Immunizations").

Individuals that are unable to match their records are encouraged to complete the MyIR Records release of information online form. Local RiteAid pharmacies are also contracted to assist in matching your records – view store locator.

Vaccination exemptions

Certain individuals may qualify for vaccine exemption based on particular health risk factors. Please contact your primary care team for further information regarding vaccine exemption requests.

Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

Scheduling a vaccine

Patients interested in a COVID-19 vaccine appointment should visit the Department of Health’s Vaccine Locator tool or call 1-833-VAX-HELP (1-833-829-4357) to schedule an appointment. Availability is updated regularly.

Some of our Franciscan Medical Group clinics are now offering vaccine appointments for current patients. Current Virginia Mason Franciscan Health patients can call their primary care office or Franciscan Medical Group provider directly to see if they are scheduling vaccination appointments. Appointment availability will vary by location.

Patients who are looking for their COVID-19 vaccination records should visit the Washington State Department of Health’s website to access immunization information.