COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Please note: We currently do not have COVID-19 vaccine appointments available.
Most vaccine appointments for the Twin Cities metro area are released each Tuesday morning around 8 a.m. This when appointment availability is best. There may be additional appointments released throughout the week as some appointments are rescheduled or canceled and we receive additional vaccine.
COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Efforts
The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing persistent health inequities for communities of color and Indigenous communities and is exacerbating Minnesota’s racial disparities. Learn more about our efforts to make vaccinations accessible, affordable, and available within a trusted space with appropriate language and cultural considerations.
COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs
Due to the high demand for the COVID-19 vaccine, these appointments fill quickly. Additionally, there are very few doses of the vaccine administered across the state. Despite M Health Fairview leading the state in the number of vaccines administered, we are only receiving a weekly allocation of 4,000 to 8,000 doses for our entire system that extends from the metro to Northern Minnesota. Information about the availability of COVID-19 vaccines will always be made available on our COVID-19 Resource Hub and by accessing the scheduling function through your MyChart account.
Yes, we require an appointment in order to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Please do not come to a M Health Fairview clinic for the COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment. To find out if you meet the criteria to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, please complete our eligibility screener and scheduler.
To help your appointment go more quickly, please do the following:
- Wear a short-sleeved shirt for ease of receiving the vaccine.
- Wear a mask and maintain a social distance of six feet from others when possible at your appointment. Only those getting a vaccine should come to the appointment.
- After receiving the vaccination, you will be asked to wait nearby for a 15-minute observation period to monitor you for immediate adverse reactions. If you have a history of allergic reactions to a vaccine, you will be asked to wait nearby for a 30-minute observation period. Our vaccinators are prepared to respond to adverse reactions during the observation time. They will have access to EpiPens and guidance on how to care for individuals experiencing reactions.
- If you are pregnant, lactating (nursing) or have a weak immune system, review special details about the vaccine on the CDC website.
- If you have questions, be sure to ask your regular care team before you arrive.
- Please also review this Pfizer Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization for more details about the vaccine.
- The vaccines do not provide immediate immunity. Two weeks after the second dose, the Pfizer vaccine was found to be more than 94 percent effective, which is the best possible immune response. We do not know what to expect in the next six months to two years. There will likely be fading immunity, but we do not yet know if additional doses of the vaccine will be necessary.
Reminder: You need two doses of the vaccine. You must get the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine 21 days later after the first dose. You will be scheduled for the second dose at your first vaccination.
If the person you bring does not have a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, they will not receive a vaccination.
Due to a COVID-19 vaccine supply shortage, M Health Fairview is currently only giving vaccines to frontline healthcare workers, other phase 1A groups of Minnesota’s vaccination plan, and individuals 70 years of age or older. Please note: If you are a healthcare worker and able to do your job remotely, you do not meet the criteria to receive the vaccine at this time. Once supplies increase, we hope to begin giving vaccines to more people, including adults age 65 and older and those at higher risk for severe complications from COVID-19. When those plans are announced, we will share details here. Learn more.
Two COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are both safe and more than 94 percent effective, according to the results of two large clinical trials. Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have already received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization, allowing them to be used in the United States. Learn more.
The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines do not use live or weakened versions of the coronavirus causing COVID-19. Instead, these vaccines have genetic material called mRNA or “messenger RNA” that is taken from the virus. Both vaccines come in two doses. Once you receive both doses of the vaccine, it will likely take several weeks for your body to develop immunity. Learn more.
The J&J vaccine is another tool in the toolbox to end the pandemic. Comparing the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine is like comparing apples to oranges. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine was studied when we had more variants. It’s the most up to date vaccine that has been tested head to head with the variants. We have no studies comparing vaccines to one another, so to make assumptions that one is better than another is false.
We need to end hospitalizations and deaths from COVID, and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine does that very effectively. There are some focused populations where the Johnson and Johnson vaccine could really help: populations who are home bound and getting transportation to two appointments is difficult, for incarcerated populations, just to name a few.
People should not decline a vaccine in hopes of being offered another. All vaccines currently offered through M Health Fairview are very effective at making the spike protein in our bodies, and reducing hospitalizations and deaths. Once vaccinated, we need to stay vigilant in mask wearing, socially distancing, etc. Only 7-8% of the population is vaccinated, so there are still a lot of high risk people we could be putting at risk if we let our guard down.
During the clinical trials, only mild to moderate flu-like side effects were reported, including a headache, fatigue, chills, fever, and muscle and joint soreness. Side effects are more likely to occur after the second dose. Most of these symptoms ended three days after the vaccine, or earlier. Learn more.
No, it is not possible to get COVID-19 from the vaccine. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use only genetic material from the virus while other vaccines being studied use inactivated versions of the virus. None of these can cause COVID-19. Learn more.
The COVID-19 vaccine is not effective unless you receive both doses. The first dose of the vaccine helps prepare your immune system and the second dose provides most of the immunity. Learn more.
While we have made some progress in the fight against COVID-19 with public health measures like masking and social distancing, widespread vaccination is the only way that we can stop the pandemic. Not only does getting the vaccine protect you against COVID-19, it also reduces the chances that you will spread it to others, including your family and friends. Learn more.
Yes. People who have tested positive for COVID-19 produce antibodies that offer some protection against the virus, but we don’t know enough yet about antibody protection and how long it may last, so we recommend that everyone get the vaccine. Learn more.
Yes. Everyone should wear face masks, wash their hands frequently, practice social distancing, and take other safety steps until more people have received the vaccine, the number of COVID-19 cases nationwide is no longer at pandemic levels, and we understand more about how long these vaccines will protect us. Learn more.