If you have been awaiting full FDA approval to get vaccinated, your time has arrived. On August 23, 2021, the FDA fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for everyone ages 16 and up. Full FDA approval underscores the safety and efficacy of the vaccine against the COVID-19 virus.

Why get vaccinated?

Do it for yourself, your family, and your community. When you’re vaccinated against COVID-19, you protect yourself from a deadly disease. Vaccinate to stop the spread to your friends, your family, your elders, and the people who work hard to keep our communities safe and open.

COVID-19 vaccines protect against new variants like Delta, which are easier to catch and much more dangerous to unvaccinated people than earlier forms of the virus. The vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death from these variants, and are critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19 before it can mutate into an even more dangerous form.

Vaccination is even available to young people aged 12 to 15 years old, so families can feel even safer as we venture out more, visit grandma and grandpa, go on summer vacations, and get back to doing the things we love.

Families looking to make vaccination appointments for their 12+ children can visit MyTurn.ca.gov, call the COVID-19 Hotline at (833) 422-4255, or talk to your family’s pediatrician or healthcare provider.

Vaccination is one of the most important steps in ending the pandemic.

Each person who gets vaccinated brings us closer to a post-pandemic world. We can save millions of lives, but only by working together.

How can I get vaccinated?

Here’s how to get started:

You can get the COVID-19 vaccine at thousands of community vaccination sites, medical offices and clinics, pharmacies, and even supermarkets. Appointments and walk-up vaccination sites are growing in number across the state, so getting it done is easy no matter where you live.

Find your closest vaccination site

Use VaccineFinder to find walk-up sites in your area.

Book a vaccine appointment

If you'd rather schedule your vaccine, find a convenient time on My Turn and book your appointment.

For help making it happen, call (833) 422-4255

You can also check with your healthcare provider or stop by your local pharmacy.

Are the vaccines safe?

Yes. COVID-19 vaccines have gone through extensive clinical trials and the most intensive safety review in U.S. history. Technological advancements in science and an unprecedented amount of resources made the development of vaccines in under a year possible.

Before release, they were tested in tens of thousands of participants of different ages, races, genders, and ethnicities. Most people report no side effects, or only mild ones.

Long-term side effects following any vaccination are extremely rare. Vaccine monitoring has historically shown that if side effects are going to happen, they will generally happen shortly after receiving a vaccine dose.

You cannot get COVID-19 from a vaccine.

How we know they’re safe

• Millions of people in the United States have been vaccinated for COVID-19

• Everyone who receives a vaccine is observed while on-site for side effects

• Reported side effects have been mild, and are a normal sign that your body is building immunity

• These vaccines were built on years of research -- no corners were cut in the process

FDA approval update

On August 23, 2021, the FDA fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for everyone ages 16 and up.

Since December 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been available under a FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). EUAs are granted when results from extensive and rigorous trials demonstrate a vaccine is safe, and allow the use during emergencies, such as a pandemic, while full FDA review is completed. FDA approval reinforces confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine against the COVID-19 virus.

Full FDA approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine means the FDA has determined, based on substantial evidence, that the vaccine is safe and effective for its intended use and that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh any known and potential risks.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was put through the same rigorous testing and FDA review procedures as previously approved vaccines. No steps were skipped, and the long standing precedents and methods for ensuring vaccine safety were followed throughout the approval process.

The review process continues for full approval of the other vaccines. Full FDA approval for Pfizer-BioNTech does not mean people who received the Moderna vaccine are not protected and does not mean that people should get a second series of the vaccine.

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Update:

• California lifted the temporary pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Visit the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup report to learn more.

• For up-to-date information and fact sheets, click here.

Are they effective?

Yes. Unlike most medicines, which treat or cure diseases that are already there, vaccines prevent them. The vaccines are highly effective at preventing you from getting seriously ill from COVID-19.

Be sure to get all required doses of a vaccine.

For full protection, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine require two shots, spaced a few weeks apart. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one shot.

Vaccine effectiveness

The current authorized COVID-19 vaccines offer a high degree of protection against severe disease, hospitalizations, and death, even from the new Delta variant. The vast majority, over 90% of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 are unvaccinated people.

Additional doses

Immunocompromised people may be eligible to receive a third dose of an mRNA vaccine for stronger protection against COVID-19. The FDA has authorized third doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals, including those who have:

• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood

• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

• Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)

• Advanced or untreated HIV infection

• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

Visit the FAQ for more information on third doses.