Baylor Scott & White is now vaccinating all Texans ages 16 and older.

The most important thing is that you and our communities get vaccinated. While we are working to vaccinate all our patients and community members as soon as possible, we understand that in some instances other vaccine providers may be able to vaccinate you sooner. If you choose to get vaccinated at a non-BSWH location, please retain documentation of your vaccination for your BSWH provider and remember to get both doses of the vaccine.

There is no out-of-pocket cost for the COVID-19 vaccine or its administration.

The following patients and community members are not eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine:

• Patients and community members with confirmed COVID-19 and are symptomatic or have flu-like symptoms (fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue) will need to get their vaccine when they are no longer sick. Please consult with your doctor to discuss the appropriate timing for getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Patients and community members who are asymptomatic or no longer have COVID-19 symptoms may get the vaccine
• Patients and community members who have received another vaccine in the last 14 days will need to wait until the full 14 days have passed before getting the COVID-19 vaccine
• For patients and community members who have had an immediate or severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine—including polyethylene glycol/PEG (found in medications such as laxatives and colonoscopy preparations), polysorbate, or polyoxyl 35 Castor oil—the CDC recommends against getting any of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines
• The CDC recommends that patients and community members who had an immediate or severe allergic reaction after getting the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine do not get the second dose
• Patients and community members who have received monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 treatment in the past 90 days

The FDA has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine in individuals 18 years of age and older. All Texans over the age of 16 can now be vaccinated.

In Texas, all individuals (16 years of age and older) are now eligible to be vaccinated.

Each state has its own plan for deciding which groups of people will be vaccinated first. You can contact the Texas Department of State Health Services for more information on its plan for COVID-19 vaccination.

We are vaccinating all eligible Texans, as informed by federal and state guidelines, including those 16 years of age and older with certain high-risk medical conditions.

You can download the app or visit MyBSWHealth.com to self-schedule a vaccination appointment or take an eligibility screener. You can also call the vaccine line at 1.844.BSW.VACC.

While we are eager to vaccinate all patients and community members, the supply on hand today is limited. As additional doses become available to us, we will continue to administer them as quickly as possible.

Yes. In line with state and federal guidelines, at this time, we are vaccinating all Texans 16 and older.

You can download the app or visit MyBSWHealth.com to self-schedule a vaccination appointment (if eligible). You may be prompted to take an eligibility screener before scheduling. You can also call the vaccine line at 1.844.BSW.VACC.

While we are eager to vaccinate patients and community members, the supply on hand today is limited. As additional doses become available to us, we will continue to administer them as quickly as possible.

Yes. In line with state and federal guidelines, at this time, we are vaccinating all Texans 16 and older.

You can download the app or visit MyBSWHealth.com to self-schedule a vaccination appointment. You can also call the vaccine line at 1.844.BSW.VACC.

While we are eager to vaccinate patients and community members, the supply on hand today is limited. As additional doses become available to us, we will continue to administer them as quickly as possible.

Yes. We are vaccinating all Texans 16 and older as quickly as our vaccine supply allows. At this time, you may want to contact another pharmacy or your county health department to schedule a vaccine based on supply availability.

You can download the app or visit MyBSWHealth.com to self-schedule. We recommend downloading the app as it is the easiest way to schedule an appointment.

Your MyBSWHealth account can also help you get virtual care for a variety of health needs, including a COVID-19 screening and support for mild COVID-19 symptoms. You can also schedule a same-day appointment or begin an eVisit through the app.

Yes. People who have gotten sick with COVID-19 mayo still benefit from getting vaccinated. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19, and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people may be advised to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before. However, if you have active symptoms of COVID-19, it is not recommended you get the vaccine until you are no longer symptomatic. In addition, if you have received convalescent plasma or monoclonal antibodies as part of a positive COVID-19 treatment, it is recommended you wait 90 days to receive the vaccine.

While we are receiving an allocation of all the vaccines, we cannot guarantee a particular vaccine’s availability at a particular site, as the state determines where vaccines are distributed. Please continue to check our website for the latest updates.

Yes. If you received the first dose of a two-dose vaccine from one manufacturer (Pfizer or Moderna), you must receive the second dose from the same manufacturer. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a one-dose vaccine.

The protection someone gains from having an infection (called “natural immunity”) varies depending on the disease, and it varies from person to person. Because this virus is new, we don’t know how long natural immunity might last. Current evidence suggests that getting the virus again (reinfection) is uncommon in the 90 days after the first infection with the virus that causes COVID-19..

We won’t know how long immunity lasts after vaccination until we have more data on how well COVID-19 vaccines work in real-world conditions.

Experts are working to learn more about both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity. CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.

Yes. Not enough information is currently available to say if or when CDC will stop recommending that people wear masks and avoid close contact with others to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide in real-world conditions before making that decision. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision. We also don’t yet know whether getting a COVID-19 vaccine will prevent you from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to other people, even if you don’t get sick yourself.

While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue:

• Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth
• Staying at least 6 feet away from others
• Avoiding crowds
• Avoiding poorly ventilated spaces
• Washing your hands often

Wait at least 14 days before getting any other vaccine, including a flu or shingles vaccine, if you get your COVID-19 vaccine first. And if you get another vaccine first, wait at least 14 days before getting your COVID-19 vaccine.

If a COVID-19 vaccine is inadvertently given within 14 days of another vaccine, you do not need to restart the COVID-19 vaccine series; you should still complete the series on schedule.

Approving safe vaccines and making sure they work is up to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC Advisory Committee and other groups look at available information about a vaccine and make informed decisions about the risks and benefits of using it. We also have an internal team of experts who review available data before we recommend it.

No. None of the authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines or COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19.

There are several different types of vaccines in development. All of them teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.

It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

No. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) do not change or interact with your DNA in any way and neither does the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Messenger RNA vaccines—also called mRNA vaccines—are the first COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States. mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept. This means the mRNA cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease. Learn more about how COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work. Learn more about how COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work.

The Food and Drug Administration and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices review the safety data for vaccines. We also have an internal team of experts who review available data. We will have more details and data to share as specific vaccine information is published.

Side effects that have been reported with the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine include:

• Injection site pain
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Chills
• Joint pain
• Fiebre
• Injection site swelling
• Injection site redness
• Náusea
• Feeling unwell
• Swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy)

There is a remote chance the COVID-19 vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose of the vaccine. Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, swelling of your face and throat, a fast heartbeat, a bad rash all over your body, dizziness and weakness.

For information on adverse reactions, please review the FDA fact sheets for the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine and/or the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine.

For information on adverse reactions, please review the FDA fact sheets for the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine and/or the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine.

Possibly, however, if you have had severe reactions in the past to IV medications or vaccines, you will need to be observed for 30 minutes post-vaccination. If you are receiving a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna), the second dose is not recommended if you have a severe allergic reaction to the first dose. If you have an immediate allergic reaction to the first dose, we recommend you speak with your physician before proceeding with the second dose.

According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, pregnant and breastfeeding women are not excluded from receiving the vaccine, but they should consult their physician prior to being vaccinated.

None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development in the United States use the live virus that causes COVID-19. There are several different types of vaccines in development. However, the goal for each of them is to teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity. Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work.

For most people, getting the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible is the safest choice. However, trials testing the vaccine in pregnant and breastfeeding women have not been completed. The information in this section will help you make an informed choice about whether to get the vaccine while you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.

COVID-19 seems to cause more harm in pregnant women than in women of the same age who are not pregnant. The risks of getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy are thought to be small but are not totally known.

You should consider your own personal risk of getting COVID-19. If your personal risk is high, or there are many cases of COVID-19 in your community, it probably makes sense for you to get the vaccine while pregnant. But whether to get the vaccine during pregnancy is your choice.

COVID-19 is dangerous. It is more dangerous for pregnant women as COVID-19 patients who are pregnant are three times more likely to end up in the intensive care unit (ICU), three times more likely to be on a ventilator and at increased risk of dying due to COVID-19. There is an increased risk of stillbirth and preterm birth.

The COVID-19 vaccine will prevent the vast majority of COVID-19 infections. As COVID-19 infections go up in our communities, your risk of getting COVID-19 goes up too.

The COVID-19 vaccine has no live virus. The COVID-19 vaccine does NOT contain ingredients that are known to be harmful to pregnant women or to the fetus. Many vaccines are routinely given during pregnancy and are safe (example: tetanus, diphtheria and flu).

COVID-19 is very dangerous and can spread very easily. Because of this, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are recommended by the CDC for persons 16 and older (Pfizer) or 18 and older (Moderna, Johnson & Johnson) in the U.S. population under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization. Pregnant and breastfeeding patients, and those trying to conceive (including those undergoing fertility treatment), are not excluded from this recommendation.

• The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine strongly recommends that pregnant individuals have access to COVID-19 vaccines. They recommend that each person have a discussion with their healthcare professional about their own personal choice.
• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that the COVID-19 vaccine should not be withheld from pregnant individuals who meet criteria for vaccination.
• Because there are no studies of pregnant women yet, there are no clear recommendations for pregnant women. This is standard for any new drug and not due to any particular concern with COVID-19 vaccines.

The COVID-19 vaccine has not yet been tested in pregnant women. Together, the vaccines were tested in over 70,000 people and there were no serious side effects. Although they were not tested in pregnant women, some who received a vaccine in the clinical trials did get pregnant. There have been no reports of any problems with these pregnancies, and they are continuing to be monitored.

We do not have data on whether the vaccines work as well in pregnancy as it did in the study of non-pregnant individuals. Be aware that people getting the vaccine will probably have some side effects. Although there were no serious side effects reported, many people had some side effects within three days of getting a vaccine, including injection site reactions like sore arm, fatigue, headache, chills and fever.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using acetaminophen during pregnancy if you have a fever (temperature > 100.8). This medication is safe to use during pregnancy and does not affect how the vaccine works.

Make sure you understand as much as you can about COVID-19 and about the vaccine. Ask a trusted source, like your doctor. Also, think about your own personal risk of getting sick from COVID-19. If you are at a higher risk of getting COVID-19, it probably makes sense to get the vaccine.

The Academy for Breastfeeding Medicine reports that there is no reason to believe that the vaccine affects the safety of breastmilk. When we have an infection or get a vaccine, our bodies make antibodies to fight the infection. Antibodies formed from vaccines given during pregnancy do pass into the breastmilk and then to the baby to help prevent infections. Since the vaccine does not contain the virus, there is no risk of breastmilk containing the virus.

Experts recommend patients who are planning to conceive or undergoing fertility treatment should be offered a vaccine based on CDC eligibility criteria. Since the vaccine is not a live virus, there is no reason to delay pregnancy attempts because of vaccination administration or to defer treatment until the second dose has been administered.