Q: When will I be able to get a vaccine?
A: The COVID-19 vaccine is being made available to residents as directed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD). CDPH provides a centralized source -- called MyTurn -- for information about access to COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
To get updates on vaccine appointment information, please complete the vaccine email update form.
Q: How do I schedule a vaccine at El Camino Health?
A: Although we now allow for walk-ins at our Sunnyvale location, we still encourage use of our online scheduler to make an appointment.
Q: Why aren’t there any appointments available when I tried to schedule?
A: Appointments are added to our scheduling system based on our inventory of vaccine, which is supplied by Santa Clara County on a week-by-week basis. If you visit the scheduler and find no available appointments, please check back often as more appointments are added as we receive news from the county about additional vaccine shipments.
Q: How do I cancel my vaccination appointment?
A: If you have a myCare account, sign into myCare, click on "Visits", and on the vaccine appointment, use the option to cancel. Otherwise, to cancel your appointment, please call 408-871-7460 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Q: How do we know these vaccines are safe?
A: Prior to the FDA granting Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), independent panels review the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. These panels include independent experts retained by the vaccine maker; by an FDA scientific staff; and by an additional independent panel of experts convened by the FDA.
Q: How can I stay updated about the COVID-19 vaccine?
A: El Camino Health provides reliable information about COVID-19 and vaccines as information becomes available. To receive a general update on the latest information about vaccine appointments, vaccine clinic hours as well as groups and tiers that currently qualify for vaccination, please complete the Vaccine Email Updates form.
Updates with more answers to questions and details about the vaccine and its pending distribution are available from other trusted sources, such as the FDA, the CDC, the CDPH and SCCPHD. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine process, FAQs are available on the CDC’s website.
Q: Until I am able to get a vaccine, what can I do now to protect myself from getting COVID-19?
A: Continue using the best-known methods to prevent the spread of the virus -- mask, social distance and wash hands:
- Wear a mask over your nose and mouth
- Stay at least 6 feet away from others
- Avoid crowds
- Avoid poorly ventilated spaces
- Wash your hands often
Q: If I have already had COVID-19 and recovered, do I still need to get vaccinated?
A: Yes. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that reinfection with COVID-19 is possible, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 infection.
Experts do not yet know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called “natural immunity,” varies from person to person. It is rare for someone who has had COVID-19 to get infected again. It also is uncommon for people who do get COVID-19 again to get it within 90 days of when they recovered from their first infection. We won’t know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until we have more data on how well the vaccines work.
Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are working to learn more about.
Q: If I have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, do I need to wear a mask and avoid close contact with others?
A: Yes. Not enough information is currently available to say if or when public health officials will stop recommending that people wear masks and avoid close contact with others to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide in real-world conditions before making that decision. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision.
While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, continue using the best-known methods to prevent the spread of the virus:
- Wear a mask over your nose and mouth
- Stay at least 6 feet away from others
- Avoid crowds
- Avoid poorly ventilated spaces
- Wash your hands often
