If you are 65 or older, have been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, and you are six months of more past the date of your second vaccine shot (check your vaccination card) you are eligible for a free Pfizer vaccine booster shot at any CVS. Eligibility includes those ages 65+ and those ages 18 to 64 with underlying health conditions* or at high risk for occupational or institutional exposure. You have probably heard that the CDC is recommending we all get the booster to better protect ourselves. Note that at this time the booster is only available for those who received the two-shot Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna and J&J boosters is are still in the approval process. 

Two ways to go about it:  

Walk-in: if you do it this way it’s the same as handing them a prescription and waiting for it to be filled – first come, first served basis. You may have to wait a while. Bring your insurance cards and your record of COVID vaccination. Be sure you are eligible. You will need to give them a lot of information. 

On-line appointment scheduling (cannot be done by phone or in person): You cannot begin the online scheduling process until six months from your final Covid 19 shot. Have your insurance cards and vaccination record handy to complete the request. Once you get started it only takes about 5 minutes.  

https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine?icid=210810coronavirus-lp-nav-vaccine 

You will be asked for the usual insurance information, final vaccination date, and some medical questions. Once completed you’ll be asked for your zip code and given a list of the nearby CVS stores. Choose which one you want to visit. It will then ask you what date you’d like the appointment and show you available times. Once you choose one and finish you will be sent a reminder e-mail with recommended things to do on that day to prepare. 

As was true for the first series of shots, the booster shot is FREE, regardless of of your health insurance status. 

*According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for people who are moderate to severely immunocompromised, which includes people that: 

  • Have been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood. 
  • Are organ transplant recipients and are taking immunosuppressants (medications to suppress the immune system). 
  • Have received a stem cell transplant within the last two yea years or are taking immunosuppressants. 
  • Have moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (a condition in which the immune system does not work correctly leading to frequent infections. Examples include DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, severe combined immunodeficiency or SCID). 
  • Have advanced or untreated HIV infection. 
  • Are receiving active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress the immune response.