Vaccine Distribution Plan

The COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan in Rhode Island

Where can I get vaccinated?

Municipal vaccination clinics are being hosted by cities and towns
throughout the state. Appointments are required; contact your city or town directly for more information.
State-run vaccination sites offer vaccinations by appointment only. Schedule one online or by calling 844-930-1779.
CVS and Walgreens pharmacies For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit the CVS COVID-19 vaccine page or the Walgreens COVID-19 vaccine page. Certain Target stores with CVS pharmacies inside are also offering vaccinations — visit CVS.com to find
Hospital systems and community health centers are reaching out to eligible patients directly, as supplies permit.
Vaccine supplies are limited everywhere and available only to those now eligible under each state’s phased plan. Most vaccine sites require you to schedule an appointment online or by phone. Appointments can be very hard to get, as available time slots are booked quickly, and you may experience long wait times on the phone. If a time slot is not available, you may be put on the site’s waiting list. Some people are signing up at multiple sites to increase chances of getting an appointment. Once you have a confirmed appointment, public health officials ask that you don’t schedule or confirm another with any other provider so that vaccine appointments stay open for others. Eligible Rhode Islanders who are homebound can fill out an online form to request in-home vaccination.

Long-term care facility residents and staff were among the first in Rhode Island
to be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

AARP recommends that you ask your doctor about the safety, effectiveness, benefits and risks of the coronavirus vaccine. Older adults, especially those with underlying medical conditions, are at increased risk for hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

What should I bring to my vaccination appointment?

Some vaccination sites ask for proof of identity or eligibility. Officials recommend that you bring a driver’s license or other state-issued ID that shows your name, age and state residency, and your health insurance card, if you have one. You will not be charged, but the vaccine provider may bill your insurer a fee for administering the vaccine.

If you are eligible due to an underlying medical condition or comorbidity, you may need a note from your doctor or some other form of proof. If you are eligible on the basis of your work, bring proof of employment such as a pay stub, badge or letter from your employer.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says to wear a mask at your appointment.

Who will be eligible to get vaccinated next?

Rhode Islanders age 50 to 59 are expected to become eligible for vaccination in early April, according to the state health department.

AARP is fighting for older Americans to be prioritized in getting one of the COVID-19 vaccines because the science shows that older people are at higher risk of death from the coronavirus.

How will residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities get vaccinated?

Most residents and staff of long-term care facilities in Rhode Island are being vaccinated through a federal program that contracted with CVS and Walgreens to administer the two-dose COVID-19 vaccines at free on-site clinics.

Nationally, almost all nursing homes, which were given first priority, have completed their vaccination clinics. Most assisted living and other long-term care facilities are conducting their final clinics. All the vaccination clinics are slated to wrap up by late March.

I’ve heard that some vaccines require a second shot.

The COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna require two doses. If you get one of these, you’ll need a follow-up dose to be effectively immunized. The recommended second-shot date is three weeks after a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and four weeks for Moderna’s, but the CDC says an interval of up to six weeks is acceptable.

The state health department recommends scheduling your second dose at your initial vaccination appointment. At your first appointment, you should receive a vaccination record card noting when and where you were vaccinated, as well as which vaccine you received. Bring the card to your second appointment.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine requires just one shot.

Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for people 16 and older, while the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines are authorized for those 18 and older.

It’s not yet known how long immunity from a coronavirus vaccine lasts and whether it needs to be administered on a regular basis like a flu shot.

Do I have to pay for the vaccination?

You should not have any out-of-pocket cost for getting the vaccine. AARP fought to make sure the federal government is covering the cost of the vaccine itself. Providers can recoup a fee for administering the shot, but not from consumers. They would be reimbursed by the patient’s insurance company or the government (in the case of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured, for example).

Scammers are purporting to offer COVID vaccines and treatments and trying to charge for them. AARP's Fraud Watch Network is tracking the latest scams.

Should I still wear a mask after getting vaccinated?

Yes. Experts still need to learn more about the protection the vaccines provide under “real-world conditions,” the CDC says. It could take your body a few weeks to build up immunity after the second dose.

The vaccine is just one tool that can help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The CDC says it could take months for the population to build up immunity and continues to recommend preventive measures like face masks and social distancing.

In addition, it’s not yet clear how effective the vaccines are against new, more contagious strains of the coronavirus initially identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil and elsewhere, although they would still provide some protection.

This guide, originally published Jan. 11, was updated March 26 with new information about vaccination eligibility and vaccine providers.

CRISTINA ARIAS/GETTY IMAGES

En español | With the Feb. 27 authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, Americans will now have three vaccines available to combat the coronavirus infection. J&J is expected to soon begin shipping out up to 4 million doses now that has received its emergency use authorization (EUA).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet Sunday and Monday to recommend whether and how the J&J vaccine should be distributed.

The three available vaccines use two different technologies to achieve the same end — to trigger immune responses in our cells that will allow our bodies to make antibodies to the spike protein located on the surface of the coronavirus. Those antibodies will help fight a COVID-19 infection if the real coronavirus enters our body.

For the latest coronavirus news and advice go to AARP.org/coronavirus.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines use the same basic technology, known as mRNA, to provide the genetic code our cells need to produce the antibodies. These vaccines essentially teach our cells how to make a protein that prompts an immune response without using the live virus that causes COVID-19.

The J&J vaccine also delivers a genetic code to our cells, but does it in a different way. This vaccine uses what's called an adenovirus — a harmless virus that can no longer replicate — to basically send the genetic message to our cells. And the adenovirus goes into the nucleus of our cells and uses our DNA to send the genetic code.

So the main difference between the two vaccine technologies is that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines use mRNA to get the genetic instructions to our cells, while the J&J vaccine uses DNA.

Beyond the different technologies used to send our immune system the key to fighting off COVID-19, there are differences among the three vaccines authorized in the U.S., particularly when it comes to the temperatures at which they are stored, the number of doses required, how they are administered and the timetables for when patients need to get their shots.

How effective are they?

Pfizer-BioNTech

Vaccine was shown to be 95 percent overall effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses in phase 3 clinical trials.
Vaccine was shown to be 94.7 percent effective in people age 65 and older in its clinical trials after the second dose.

Moderna

Vaccine was shown to be 94.1 percent overall effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in its phase 3 clinical trials after the second dose.
Vaccine was shown to be 86.4 percent effective in people age 65 and over after two doses.

Johnson & Johnson

Vaccine was shown to be 66.1 percent overall effective in preventing COVID-19 symptoms after one dose in its phase 3 multi-country clinical trials and 72 percent effective among participants in the U.S. trials.
Vaccine was shown to be 68.6 percent effective in people age 65 and over after one dose.

Significance: All three vaccines more than meet the 50 percent effectiveness threshold required by the FDA. In addition, the data from phase 3 clinical trials for all three vaccines show that all of them are 100 percent effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

Vaccines have different temperature requirements

Pfizer-BioNTech

Vaccine has been shipped in special containers filled with dry ice that can maintain a temperature of less than minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit and has been stored in cold-storage units at that temperature. The FDA recently agreed to let Pfizer ship and store its vials for two weeks at higher temperatures — from minus 13 degrees to minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Vials may be placed in a regular refrigerator for up to five days. The vaccine must be used between 30 minutes and two hours once it's thawed to room temperature.

Moderna

Vaccine can be shipped and maintained at standard freezer temperatures of minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Vials may be stored in a standard freezer for up to six months.
Vaccine can stay in a standard refrigerator for up to 30 days. The vaccine must be used within 12 hours once it's at room temperature.

Johnson & Johnson

Vaccine can be shipped and maintained at standard refrigerator temperatures of 36 degrees to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
J&J can ship and store the vaccine at the same temperatures and there's no need for thawing.
Unopened vials can be kept outside the refrigerator at room temperature for 12 hours; punctured vials can be kept for six hours.

Significance: The J&J vaccine is the easiest to transport and store because it requires only standard refrigeration. The Moderna vaccine doesn't need to be transported and stored in as cold a temperature as the Pfizer-BioNTech product.

Preparation varies slightly

Pfizer-BioNTech

Once the vial is thawed, the vaccine must be diluted with saline, which is basically salt water, before it can be injected.

Moderna and Johnson & Johnson

These vaccines come ready to be administered. No dilution required.

Significance: Having to dilute a vaccine is not uncommon. For example, when health care providers give the measles vaccine, they dilute it.

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Who can take vaccine?

Pfizer-BioNTech

People 16 years old and older

Moderna and Johnson & Johnson

People 18 years old and older

Significance: Those under 18 likely won't be eligible to get the vaccine until later in 2021 anyway since health care workers, nursing home residents and staff, essential workers, people 65 and older and those with certain health risks are slated to be the first groups vaccinated. Other vaccines may be available to younger age groups by then.

Side effects

Pfizer-BioNTech

The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, followed by tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever, according to the FDA.
In the United Kingdom, two health care workers reported severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) after being vaccinated; two health care workers in Alaska reported a serious allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
In the U.S. trial, four people who received the vaccine developed Bell's palsy, which causes usually temporary paralysis in facial muscles

Moderna

The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, followed by tiredness, headache, muscle pain, joint pain and chills, an FDA analysis found.
Three trial participants who received the vaccine developed Bell's palsy.

Johnson & Johnson

The most common side effects were pain at the injection site, followed by headache, fatigue and myalgia (muscle pain).
There was one case of hypersensitivity — although not classified as anaphylaxis — that began two days after the injection.
There were four reported cases of Bell's palsy: two among those getting the vaccine and two who received the placebo.

Significance: The side effects are similar for each vaccine. William Moss, a physician and executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, points out that the number of Bell's palsy cases in both trials is “very small and likely just represents chance,” but says “going forward we'll just need to monitor more carefully and just make sure we're looking for Bell's palsy and make sure that it's not related to the vaccine."

When it comes to the anaphylactic reactions exhibited in Great Britain, one of the participants had a history of allergic reactions. U.S. federal officials have warned health care providers not to give the vaccine to anyone with a known history of a severe allergic reaction to any part of the vaccine, a standard caution for all vaccines. As with the Bell's palsy cases, officials are expected to watch for such reactions.

How many shots?

Pfizer-BioNTech

Two shots of the vaccine, given 21 days apart, are required for it to be fully effective.

Moderna

Two shots are required, 28 days apart.

Johnson & Johnson

One shot required.

Dena Bunis covers Medicare,

Also of Interest:

TOPICS

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ith the Feb. 27 authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, Americans will now have three vaccines available to combat the coronavirus infection. J&J is expected to soon begin shipping out up to 4 million doses now that has received its emergency use authorization (EUA).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet Sunday and Monday to recommend whether and how the J&J vaccine should be distributed.
The three available vaccines use two different technologies to achieve the same end — to trigger immune responses in our cells that will allow our bodies to make antibodies to the spike protein located on the surface of the coronavirus. Those antibodies will help fight a COVID-19 infection if the real coronavirus enters our body.

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