Vaccine Eligibility
The Brooklyn Hospital Center is administering the COVID-19 vaccine to people who meet New York State’s eligibility criteria, currently those ages 6 months old and over. We are also providing the “bivalent” booster to all patients ages 12 and over, and the standard booster to patients ages 5 through 11.
Vaccines can protect you and your community from severe COVID-19 illness, hospitalization and death. Vaccination is safer than risking illness and long-term health effects from COVID-19. Even people who have had COVID-19 should get vaccinated.
We encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get the COVID-19 vaccine and/or booster as soon as possible! For more information about COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, scroll down and read more.
Updated “Bivalent” Booster
The updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters are recommended for everyone 12 and older. They are called “bivalent” booster vaccines because half of the dose is specifically targeting the omicron subvariants that account for nearly all recent infections in NYC. These boosters increase immunity from initial vaccination series and previous boosters.
You can get your updated bivalent booster if it has been at least two months since your most recent COVID-19 vaccine dose.
If you recently had COVID-19, you can wait to get a booster until 90 days after you first felt symptoms, or, if you had no symptoms, 90 days after your test date.
If you are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 or of getting COVID-19 again, get a booster as soon as you are eligible. Talk to your provider about when you should get your next vaccine.
TBHC Vaccine Appointment Info
TBHC only offers Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (now also known as the brand name COMIRNATY).
All vaccine appointments must be scheduled online though the MyChart patient portal link via the red button on the right side of this page (www.tbh.org/vaccine). Do not schedule a vaccine appointment if you:
- Recently had a COVID-19 vaccine elsewhere
- Are feeling sick (delay until feeling better)
- Are currently positive for COVID-19
- Received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma as part of COVID-19 treatment in the last 90 days
To allow for social distancing, do not arrive at our Vaccine Center (121 DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201) earlier than 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. Please bring a valid photo ID and insurance card to your appointment.
When to Get Your Booster
Vaccination Schedule
TBHC offers COVID-19 vaccine doses to all eligible patients, and will work with you to determine your vaccine schedule based on prior immunization. General guidelines for the COVID-19 vaccine schedule are as follows:
Children younger than 5 years should get the same vaccine for their second (and third) doses of their primary series as they received for their first dose. They will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after either their third Pfizer dose or second Moderna dose.
Pfizer Primary Series (TBHC only offers Pfizer)
- Ages: 6 months to 4 years
- Doses: Three
- Schedule: Second dose taken at least 21 days (3 weeks) after the first, and the third dose taken at least 56 days (8 weeks) after the second
Children 5-11 years should get the same vaccine for their second dose of their primary series as they received for their first dose. They will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after either their second Pfizer dose.
Pfizer Primary Series (TBHC only offers Pfizer)
- Ages: 5 to 11 years
- Doses: Two
- Schedule: Second dose taken at least 21 days (3 weeks) after the first, and no more than 56 days (8 weeks) after the first
Children and teens ages 12-17 years should get the same vaccine for their second dose of their primary series as they received for their first dose. They will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second Pfizer dose.
Pfizer Primary Series (TBHC only offers Pfizer)
- Ages: 12 to 17 years
- Doses: Two
- Schedule: Second dose taken at least 21 days (3 weeks) after the first, and no more than 56 days (8 weeks) after the first
Adults ages 18 years and older should get the same vaccine for their second dose of their primary series as they received for their first dose. They will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second Pfizer dose.
Pfizer Primary Series (TBHC only offers Pfizer)
- Ages: 12 to 17 years
- Doses: Two
- Schedule: Second dose taken at least 21 days (3 weeks) after the first, and no more than 56 days (8 weeks) after the first.
Booster Shots
While you are considered fully vaccinated after completing your primary series, you are considered up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines only when you have received all doses in the primary series AND all boosters recommended for you, when eligible. Vaccine recommendations are different depending on your age, the vaccine you first received, and time since last dose. Vaccine boosters are recommended for all eligible patients. These shots increase your immunity from an initial vaccination series ad help prevent serious illness from COVID-19.
Pfizer Booster Guidelines (TBHC only offers Pfizer)
Everyone 12 years and older should get the updated “bivalent” booster vaccine at least 2 months since their most recent COVID-19 vaccine dose. If you recently had COVID-19, you can wait to get a booster until 90 days after you first felt symptoms, or, if you had no symptoms, 90 days after your test date.
If you are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 or of getting COVID-19 again, get a booster as soon as you are eligible. Talk to your provider about when you should get your next vaccine.
They are called “bivalent” booster vaccines because half of the dose is specifically targeting the omicron subvariants that account for nearly all recent infections in NYC. These boosters increase your immunity from your initial vaccination series and previous boosters.
Children 5 to 11 years should get one booster shot 5 months after the final dose of their primary series.
Children and adults with moderately to severely weakened immune systems should consult with their doctor about additional vaccine doses and proper vaccine scheduling based on their age and eligibility.
Timing of COVID-19 Vaccination After Infection
People who have COVID-19 should wait to receive any vaccine, including a COVID-19 vaccine, until after they recover and complete their isolation period.
Additionally, people who recently had COVID-19 may consider delaying their next vaccine dose (primary dose or booster) by 3 months from when their symptoms started or, if they had no symptoms, when they first received a positive test. Reinfection is less likely in the weeks to months after infection.
However, certain factors, such as personal risk of severe disease, local COVID-19 community level, and the most common COVID-19 variant currently causing illness, could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later.
Mixing COVID-19 Vaccine Products
TBHC only offers Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
Primary series
CDC does not recommend mixing products for your primary series doses. If you received Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 for the first dose of your primary series, you should get the same product for all following primary series doses.
Boosters
People ages 18 years and older may get a different product for a booster than they got for their primary series. Children and teens ages 5 through 17 years who got a Pfizer-BioNTech primary series must get Pfizer-BioNTech for a booster.
If it is absolutely not possible to complete the series with the same vaccine, then another mRNA vaccine can be used. This should not be an issue in NYC where all vaccines are readily available.
Take care of your CDC vaccination card!
TBHC is not able to provide replacements for lost or damaged CDC vaccination cards. Be sure to keep it in a safe, secure place, such as a file with other important documents like passports or birth certificates. Consider scanning your card to be stored in a safe digital location, or taking a photo with your smartphone as a backup, in addition to your physical copy. Pictures of your vaccination card are an acceptable proof of vaccination for indoor venues in New York.
Parents and guardians, remember to do the same for your children’s vaccine cards.
To print or download your COVID vaccine records, go to https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/excelsior-pass. You can store your Pass digitally on your smartphone with the Excelsior Pass Wallet app, available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
You can also print your Pass from the Excelsior Pass website. You will need to enter your date of birth, county of vaccination (Kings), the type of vaccine (Pfizer), and the date of your second dose.
To download NYC’s COVID Safe App, which stores a photo of your vaccination card and your ID, go to https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines-keytonyc.page.
