
COVID-19 vaccines are available in NC to everyone 6 months of age and older, and Boosters for everyone 5 Years and older.
Boosters can be given two months after completing your primary series or any booster dose. It offers the most up-to-date protection against the latest Omicron variants, the most common form of COVID-19. COVID 19-vaccines are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and even dying.
When Are You Up to Date?
You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines if you have completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series and received the most recent booster dose recommended for you by CDC.
COVID-19 vaccine recommendations are based on three things:
- Your age
- The vaccine you first received, and
- The length of time since your last dose
Who Can Get Vaccinated?
- The COVID-19 vaccines are free everywhere in North Carolina.
- No government ID or insurance is required.
- Depending on where you get your vaccine or booster, you may need to make an appointment.
- Everyone can be vaccinated and boosted, regardless of their immigration status. Getting vaccinated and boosted will not affect your immigration status.
Can non-U.S. citizens get the vaccine and booster? Is the vaccine safe for children and teenagers? Will there be more COVID-19 booster shots in the future? Find out the answers on the CDC website.
Find Your Vaccination Site:
CDC Guidance Update
Click here to see the full CDC guidance
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
- Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
- Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
- Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures 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, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures 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 issued by individual employers
- Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations
Difference Between Flu and COVID-19
Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses. You cannot tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 by symptoms alone because some of the symptoms are the same. Talk to a healthcare provider about getting tested for both flu and COVID-19 if you have symptoms.