COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Please note: Grand Itasca is currently offering Pfizer vaccines to everyone 6 months of age and older. Bivalent Pfizer boosters are also available to those 5 years of age and older.
1st Dose | 2nd Dose | 3rd Dose | Bivalent Booster | |
6M-4 | Available | 21 Days After 1st Dose | 8 Weeks After 2nd Dose | Not Yet Available |
5-11 | Available | 21 Days After 1st Dose | N/A | 2 Months After Primary Series or Monovalent Booster |
12-49 | Available | 21 Days After 1st Dose | N/A | 2 Months After Primary Series or Monovalent Booster |
50+ | Available | 21 Days After 1st Dose | N/A | 2 Months After Primary Series or Monovalent Booster |
Vaccines appointments are required and can be made by calling the appointment line at (218) 326-7344.
COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions
Bivalent booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine are also now available to individuals 5 years of age and older. To be eligible to receive the booster, two months must have passed since your second dose of either vaccine.
At this time we are only able to administer the Pfizer vaccine. Some people may prefer the vaccine type that they originally received, and others may prefer to get a different booster.
Booster doses are a wonderful opportunity to provide additional immune protection. This does not mean that your initial vaccination is not working. Data shows that the COVID-19 vaccines – no matter the manufacturer – are still providing excellent protection from both getting the coronavirus and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19.
The U.S. Food and Drug administration authorized new, bivalent formulations of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to use as a single booster dose for those 5 years of age and older. They also ended authorization of the monovalent vaccines to be used as a booster for this same ages.
Starting October 21st, the bivalent Pfizer vaccine will be available at Grand Itasca as a booster for individuals 5 years of age and older. Patients can still receive the monovalent COVID-19 vaccines for their primary series and as boosters for children 6 month to 4 years old.
After a 10-day pause in April, the CDC and FDA said on April 23 that health systems can resume giving out the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine. The temporary pause gave experts time to review reports that a rare blood clot disorder called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) was occurring in women younger than 50 after they received the vaccination.
More than 8 million doses of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) have been given out across the country. As of April 25, 2021, experts found 15 reports of the blood clot disorder in women under 50 – or a rate of approximately 0.9 per 1 million vaccinations.
Grand Itasca has resumed Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine at our sites based on these recently issued recommendations. We have every indication that the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine is safe, and we consider the risk to patients to be extremely small. The chance of severe complications or hospitalization due to COVID-19 is far higher, and vaccination remains the fastest and safest way to end the pandemic.
If you have experienced concerning symptoms after receiving the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine, please go to an emergency department, call 911, or reach out to your primary care provider.
To help your appointment go more quickly, please do the following:
- Wear a short-sleeved shirt for ease of receiving the vaccine.
- Wear a mask and maintain a social distance of six feet from others, when possible, at your appointment. Only those getting a vaccine should come to the appointment.
- After receiving the vaccination, you will be asked to wait nearby for a 15-minute observation period to monitor you for immediate adverse reactions. If you have a history of allergic reactions to a vaccine, you will be asked to wait nearby for a 30-minute observation period. Our vaccinators are prepared to respond to adverse reactions during the observation time. They will have access to EpiPens and guidance on how to care for individuals experiencing reactions.
- If you are pregnant, lactating (nursing) or have a weak immune system, review special details about the vaccine on the CDC Website.
- If you have questions, be sure to ask your regular care team before you arrive.
- After each dose of vaccine, we'll check on you through an online platform called GetWell Loop. If you have questions about this platform, please read about GetWell Loop: Frequently Asked Questions.
- Review the Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization, Moderna Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization, or Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Emergency Use Authorization for more details about the vaccines.
The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines do not use live or weakened versions of the coronavirus causing COVID-19. Instead, these vaccines have genetic material called mRNA or “messenger RNA” that is taken from the virus. Both vaccines come in two doses. People receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will need a second dose 21 days after the first, while those who get the Moderna vaccine will need a booster 28 days later. You will be scheduled for the second dose during your first vaccination appointment.
These vaccines are not interchangeable. For example, you should not mix a first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine with a second dose of the Moderna vaccine. If you received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during your first appointment, then you should also get the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during your second dose, so that the vaccine is fully effective.
The Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine comes in a single dose and uses a “vector vaccine” method. Vector vaccines use another weakened virus – in this case, it’s an adenovirus called Ad26 – to deliver genetic material that tricks your body into making a protein which stimulates your body’s immune response.