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.

For more information about the vaccine: