The CDC issues federal recommendations on vaccine eligibility priority, and who should be part of each eligibility group. However, actual eligibility for the vaccine is decided by each state. A state will then set its own state-level rollout plan, which in most cases applies for every vaccine in the state.
For a few states, such as Idaho and California, the State gives counties limited abilities to interpret state guidelines and progress along their vaccination phases independently.
Check the FindYourVaccine site for your state, which should have up-to-date information from your state’s official COVID-19 vaccination website. A full list of each state’s official websites can be found in a drop-down menu on the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine portal here.
Check the FindYourVaccine website for your state for guidance, and search the map for your nearest vaccination site. Many states have their own vaccination locator website; however, in nearly every state, you will be asked to sign up for an appointment directly with each vaccine provider. The FindYourVaccine team does its best to keep each state page up-to-date with the current list of vaccine providers.
Check these CDC guidelines on what to expect before, during, and after your vaccine appointment.
The cost of the vaccine itself is covered by the CARES Act; however, as noted on the CDC facts page, providers have the ability to charge an administration fee for providing the vaccine:
“Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccination providers can charge an administration fee for giving someone the shot. Vaccination providers can be reimbursed for this by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund. No one can be denied a vaccine if they are unable to pay the vaccine administration fee.”
Vaccine allocation to each state is managed by the Federal Government - specifically, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find more information about the HHS vaccination allocation and distribution plan here.