COVID-19 Vaccine

Distribution status: Phase 2

We are providing vaccines to Colorado residents 18 and older.
Scheduling for ages 16 and 17 will be available on May 3.

How to get the COVID-19 vaccine

To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine, please use My Health Connection, UCHealth’s online patient portal, to see available appointments. You do not need to be a UCHealth patient in order to get a vaccine. Please be patient; because of high demand, it may take several weeks before appointments are widely available. We will be adding new appointment times every day around 9 a.m., so if you don’t find times that work for you, please check back the next day.

UCHealth COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline: 720.462.2255
(Español: 844.945.2508)

    • Monday through Friday – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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An appointment is required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated.

Please plan to check in online prior to your appointment. At that time, you will be asked to provide or confirm your insurance information. While we will bill your insurance company for administration of the vaccine, patients will not receive a bill from UCHealth. If you do not use online check-in, please bring your insurance card to your appointment.


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UCHealth vaccine tracker

470,800
Doses
administered by
UCHealth
267,600
People who have
received one
vaccine dose
203,300
People who have
received both
vaccine doses
106,100
UCHealth
upcoming
appointments
Last updated: 4/13/2021 (updated weekly)

With the goal of helping organizations deliver the COVID-19 vaccine to their communities,
we developed a playbook to share our learnings from successful mass vaccination events.

Get the UCHealth mass vaccination playbook

Get answers to your COVID-19 vaccine questions

These questions and answers are updated as new information is available.

When, where, and who?

Vaccine safety

Vaccine distribution

Vaccine and your health

The COVID-19 vaccine: When, where, and who?

COVID-19 vaccine - when, where, who icon | UCHealth

When will the vaccine be available:

UCHealth is currently providing COVID-19 vaccines for Colorado residents age 18 and older. We will open general scheduling to Colorado residents age 16 and 17 on May 3.

About the COVID-19 vaccines

What are the different COVID-19 vaccine options?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) to permit the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people who are 16 years old and older, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines for people who are 18 years old and older.

Which COVID-19 vaccine is best?

The Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be 94 to 95 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection after the second dose. Study participants are being followed and data updates will be released over time.

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be 66 percent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 infection, 28 days after vaccination.

UCHealth will offer COVID-19 vaccines that have been reviewed by the FDA and CDC as they are released and distributed. At this time, it is not possible for patients to request a specific brand of vaccine.

Are the COVID-19 vaccines that are being developed all made the same way?

No. Pfizer and Moderna are mRNA vaccines. Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca are vector vaccines.

mRNA vaccines contain material from the virus that causes COVID-19. This helps our cells make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. Our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build specialized white blood cells against the virus protein (it does not attack your normal body proteins). These will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19, if we are exposed or infected in the future.

Vector vaccines contain a weakened version of a live virus. This is a different virus (Adenovirus, a cause of the common cold) than the one that causes COVID-19, but with a small amount of genetic material from the virus that causes COVID-19. This is called a viral vector. Once the viral vector is inside our cells, the genetic material helps make a protein that is unique to the virus that causes COVID-19. Our cells can then make copies of the protein. This prompts our bodies to build specialized cells that will remember how to fight the COVID-19 virus if we are exposed or infected in the future.

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How was a vaccine for COVID-19 developed so quickly?

Scientists didn’t start from scratch. They built on many years of research that was already done with previous respiratory viruses such as the viruses that caused SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). These are other coronaviruses in the same family as COVID-19. It can take longer to test a vaccine if a virus is not common in the population. Researchers often have to wait for a certain number of people in studies to get sick. They can then compare vaccinated groups to the placebo groups. Because COVID-19 has been widespread in communities and spreading easily, the trials were able to move forward in shorter than usual timeframes. No steps in the normal vaccine development process have been skipped. Safety and efficacy were tested the same way as all other vaccines.
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How many doses will I need of the COVID-19 vaccine?

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require 2 doses. These are given 21 (Pfizer) and 28 (Moderna) days apart, depending on which vaccine you receive. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one dose.

What is being done to ensure proper transport and storage of the COVID-19 vaccines?

For the COVID-19 vaccines that need it, ultra-low freezer storage has been secured. The shipping process will ensure the vaccines remain at the correct temperature until they arrive at UCHealth locations.

COVID-19 vaccine safety

COVID-19 vaccine safety icon - UCHealth

How do we know COVID-19 vaccines are safe?

Clinical trials are evaluating COVID-19 vaccines in tens of thousands of study participants. Information from these trials will allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to decide how safe and effective they are. Ongoing, long-term monitoring will continue as it does for all vaccine development. No steps in the normal vaccine development process have been skipped or shortened.

Will the findings of the COVID-19 vaccine trials be made public and reviewed by independent experts?

All phase 3 clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates are overseen by an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB). This board acts across all of the trials for all of the sponsors. The FDA and vaccine manufacturers are releasing data from their trials publicly.

Did the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials include people of color?

Yes. Clinical trials included thousands of people of color. Michael Rouse was among those who participated in the Moderna trial. Learn more about why Michael opted to participate.

For the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, about 13% of study participants were Latino, 10% were Black, 5.5% were Asian and 1% were Native American.

For the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, about 20% of study participants were Latino, 10% were Black, 4% were Asian and 3% were from other ethnic and racial groups.

For the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, about 15% of the clinical trial’s U.S. participants are Latino, 13% are Black/African American, 6% are Asian and 1% are Native American.

For all three COVID-19 vaccines, efficacy was slightly better among Black or African American trial participants than among Caucasians. Efficacy for preventing COVID-19 in African Americans vs. Caucasians was 100% vs 95%, 100% vs 94%, and 69% vs 66% respectively for Pfizer, Moderna and J&J.

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Additional vaccine safety FAQs

Should I be worried about a severe allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine?

Severe allergic reactions were not common during COVID-19 vaccine trials. They occurred more frequently after the second dose. We recommend that you stay at your appointment for about 5-10 minutes of observation after getting the vaccine.

If you have a history of a severe allergic reaction to another vaccine, you should talk to your doctor or provider to see if getting the COVID-19 vaccine makes sense for you.

The CDC recommends that people with a history of severe allergic reactions, that are not related to vaccines or injectable medications (such as food, pet, venom, environmental, or latex allergies) should still get vaccinated. People with a history of allergies to oral medications or a family history of severe allergic reactions may also get vaccinated.

If you get a COVID-19 vaccine and you think you might be having a severe allergic reaction after leaving the vaccination site, seek immediate medical care by calling 911. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and rare severe allergic reactions.

Are COVID-19 vaccinations safe for pregnant people or children?

The COVID-19 vaccines have been given emergency use authorization to be given to people 16 years old and older (Pfizer) and people 18 years old and older (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson). There is no data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women. Studies are ongoing and more are planned.

If you are part of a group who is recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and you are pregnant or breast feeding, you may choose to be vaccinated. Pregnant women are at a higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19 infection. Please discuss with your doctor so that you can make an informed decision. > I’m pregnant. Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine? (Click to view/download this file.) Currently, there is no COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in children less than 16 years old. We will follow the FDA’s guidance and provide vaccinations to children if the vaccine is determined to be safe for them.

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What are the side effects of the new COVID-19 vaccines?

In general, the side effects for the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are similar, and are like those of the flu shot. The most commonly reported side effects are pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever. They usually last only a few days.

For the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, you may experience more side effects after the second dose. This is expected and was seen in studies of these vaccines. These side effects usually only last 1 to 3 days at most. Contact your doctor, health care provider or schedule a virtual visit if:

  • The redness or tenderness where you got the shot increases after 24 hours.
  • Your side effects are worrying you or do not seem to be going away after a few days.
  • You have any cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, loss of sense of taste or smell – these are not side effects we see from the vaccine. These could be symptoms of COVID-19 not related to the vaccine, and you should contact your provider to find out if you should be tested.

After you receive the vaccine, you can take a pain reliever for any symptoms that are bothersome. Current data suggests that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the best pain reliever to take within 48 hours of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

We recommend that you stay at your appointment for about 5 – 10 minutes of observation after getting the vaccine. If you get a COVID-19 vaccine and you think you might be having a severe allergic reaction after leaving the vaccination site, seek immediate medical care by calling 911. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and rare severe allergic reactions.

I am allergic to the flu vaccine. Do you think there will be a problem with getting a COVID-19 vaccine?

Unlike most of the flu vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines are not made using egg-based products. If you are allergic to any vaccines, or have other conditions you are concerned may impact your response to the COVID vaccine, you should talk with your doctor before signing up to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Is a COVID-19 vaccine safe for me? Could it interfere with any of my medications or medical conditions?

Clinical trials are evaluating COVID-19 vaccines in tens of thousands of study participants. Trial volunteers include people with lots of different medical conditions. Information from these trials will allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to decide how safe and effective they are. Ongoing, long-term monitoring will continue as it does for all vaccine development. No steps in the normal vaccine development process have been skipped or shortened. If you have any concerns about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, please contact your doctor or provider.

What can I do to prepare before getting my COVID-19 vaccine?

One of the best things to do before getting a COVID-19 vaccination is to stay hydrated, and follow these tips.

COVID-19 vaccine distribution

COVID-19 vaccine distribution icon - UCHealth

Who is UCHealth currently vaccinating?

We are working to distribute the vaccine as fast as possible and we appreciate your patience. At the current rate of vaccine shipments, we expect it will take some time before we are able to offer a vaccination appointment to everyone who wants one.

UCHealth is currently providing COVID-19 vaccines for Colorado residents age 18 or older. We will open general scheduling to Colorado residents age 16 and 17 on May 3.

How do I get the COVID-19 vaccine?

To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine, please use My Health Connection, UCHealth’s online patient portal, to see available appointments. You do not need to be a UCHealth patient in order to get a vaccine.

Because of high demand, it may take several weeks before appointments are widely available. We will be adding new appointment times every day around 9 a.m., so if you don’t find times that work for you, please check back the next day.

  • Log in to My Health Connection and click on Appointments > Schedule Appointment. From a computer, you can also click “COVID-19 Scheduling” in the Quick Links section on your right.
  • If you don’t have a My Health Connection account or are new to UCHealth, create a My Health Connection account to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine.
  • If you don’t have access to or are unable to use a computer or smartphone, call:

UCHealth COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline: 720.462.2255
(Español: 844.945.2508)

    • Monday through Friday – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Can I walk in and get a COVID-19 vaccination?

No, an appointment is required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We cannot accept walk-ins.

I received a notification to schedule my vaccination, by my spouse didn’t. Can my spouse get vaccinated when I come in for my appointment?

Not at this time. Currently, we do not have enough vaccine doses to offer it to everyone. An appointment is required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. We cannot accept walk-ins. Your spouse should use My Health Connection, UCHealth’s online patient portal, to schedule their COVID-19 vaccine.

I missed my appointment for my second dose of the vaccine. What should I do?

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require a second dose. It is important to get your second dose within 42 days of your first dose, and we strongly recommend that you get both doses of the vaccine to help stop the spread of COVID-19 variants.

Appointment times are very limited. Please make every attempt to keep your originally scheduled appointment. If you fail to keep your originally scheduled appointment, there may not be any availability for rescheduling.

Please use My Health Connection, UCHealth’s online patient portal, to reschedule your COVID-19 vaccine. Please be patient; because of high demand, it may take several weeks before appointments are widely available. We will be adding new appointment times every day around 9 a.m., so if you don’t find times that work for you, please check back the next day.

UCHealth COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline: 720.462.2255
(Español: 844.945.2508)

    • Monday through Friday – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

How can I cancel my appointment?

Please go to your My Health Connection account to cancel your appointment. If you are unable to cancel it in My Health Connection, call the UCHealth COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at 720.462.2255 for assistance.

How can I reschedule my appointments?

If you need to reschedule, you need to cancel your appointments in My Health Connection first and then complete the scheduling steps again.

Please note: Appointment times are very limited. Please make every attempt to keep your originally scheduled appointment. If you cancel, there may not be any availability for rescheduling so please only do so if necessary. This will cancel both appointments.

Once I’m vaccinated, where can I find my vaccination record?

If you receive the COVID-19 vaccine through UCHealth, “Your COVID-19 Information” page will show your vaccination record. It will also show the results of any COVID-19 nasal swab or antibody tests you have had at UCHealth.

  • My Health Connection mobile app: Click “Your COVID-19 Information” on the home screen.
  • My Health Connection desktop: Go to “Tools”, then select “Your COVID-19 Information”.

How can I get help getting to or from my vaccination appointment?

See transportation services below.
* We will continue to update this list as more resources and regions are added.

IntelliRide (Medicaid-reimbursed ride; Region: Any location in Colorado)

    • If you have active Medicaid benefits, call IntelliRide to schedule a ride to your appointment. You must schedule your ride at least 2 business days in advance.
    • Call: 303.398.2155

Elder Concierge (Self-pay, all ages, Region: Metro Denver)

    • Elder Concierge will take you to and from appointments for walk-in or drive thru clinics. Cost is $65 an hour (self-pay only) within the Metro Denver region. Call to schedule.
    • Call: 720.569.1005

Via Transport (No cost ride for ages 60+, Region: Denver/Boulder)

    • Rides available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    • Call Via Transport to get registered in the system and schedule a ride. Rides are available Monday through Friday in the Denver/Boulder area, and can be used for walk-in or drive thru clinics.
    • Call: 303.444.3043

Access-a-Ride through RTD (No cost ride for members, Region: Metro Denver)

    • If you are an Access-a-Ride member, you can call and schedule a ride to any walk-in vaccine clinic in the Metro Denver area.
    • Call: 303.292.6560

Envida (Medicaid reimbursed ride, Region: Colorado Springs)

    • If you are a Health First Colorado (Medicaid) client, call Envida to schedule a ride to your appointment.
    • Call: 719.633.4677

COVID-19 vaccine and your health

COVID-19 and your health icon - UCHealth

How much will a COVID-19 vaccine reduce the risks or complications of COVID-19?

Early results from clinical trials have shown that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may be 94 to 95 percent effective after the second dose in preventing COVID-19 for those who have been vaccinated. The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has shown to be 66 percent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, 28 days after vaccination.

Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may help keep you from getting very sick, even if you do get COVID-19. Getting vaccinated may also protect the people around you, especially those at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines require 2 doses. Will I have any protection after the first dose?

Clinical trials have shown the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may provide limited protection after 1 dose. These vaccines require 2 doses for full protection.

After I get the vaccine, how long does it take before I have full protection?

For the Pzifer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, clinical trials reported efficacy (how well the vaccine prevented COVID-19) beginning at 1 week after the second dose. In those trials, the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines prevented 94 to 95 percent of COVID-19 cases 14 days after the second dose, compared to control groups of people who received a placebo.

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine requires one dose. The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has shown to be 66 percent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, 28 days after vaccination.

Can I get COVID-19 even after getting the vaccine?

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines require 2 doses. It often takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after getting the vaccine. That means a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after getting the vaccine and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

Additional vaccine and your health FAQs

Once I get a COVID-19 vaccine, how long am I protected for? Will yearly vaccinations be needed like the flu?

The answer to this is unknown. But it is possible it will end up becoming a seasonal vaccine similar to the flu shot.

Do I need to still wear a mask after getting the vaccine?

Per the CDC guidelines, people are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 two weeks after they received the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, or two weeks after they received a single-dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. According to the interim public health recommendations, fully vaccinated people can:

  • Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.
  • Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.
  • Choose not to quarantine or get tested after being exposed to COVID-19.

For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:

  • Wear a mask and practice physical distancing in public.
  • Wear masks and practice physical distancing when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease, or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease.
  • Wear masks and practice physical distancing when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.
  • Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings.
  • Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Follow guidance from individual employers.
  • Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations.

Will the COVID-19 vaccines protect me against new versions (mutations) of the COVID-19 virus?

At this time, experts believe the COVID-19 vaccines are likely to be effective against new versions of the COVID-19 virus. Additional research is being conducted to determine if the current vaccines work on the new mutations. The CDC advises that the best way to protect yourself and others from this new version of COVID-19 is to continue wearing a mask, social distancing and washing your hands often.

If I already had COVID-19 and have recovered from it, do I need to get a COVID-19 vaccine?

There is not enough information yet to say if or for how long after infection someone is protected from getting COVID-19 again; this is called natural immunity. Early data suggests natural immunity from COVID-19 may not last very long. More studies are needed to better understand this. UCHealth experts recommend that everyone get a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to you, even if you already had COVID-19.

We’ll get through this together

 

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