COVID-19 vaccines

Yes. The CDC and other experts strongly recommend that people who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Pregnant people are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Severe illness may mean having to go to the hospital, needing a ventilator to breathe, or having an illness that results in death. Pregnant people also have an increased risk of preterm birth.

COVID-19 vaccines can help protect you from COVID-19. And experts believe that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for people who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy or breastfeeding

Yes. Data from clinical trials show that the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe in people who’ve been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 in the past. 

If you’re currently sick from COVID-19, you should wait until you’ve recovered and you’re finished with isolation to get a vaccine.

Yes. You can get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine at the same time. Here’s what the CDC recommends:

• If you haven’t gotten your currently recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can.

• Try to get a flu vaccine by the end of October. A flu shot is an essential part of protecting your health and your family’s health every year.

Note: Only Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care can get flu shots at VA health facilities. Call before you come in to make sure the facility has both vaccines.

Learn more about flu and COVID-19 vaccines on the CDC website

VA health facilities

VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System offers COVID-19 vaccines at our VA outpatient clinics in Harlingen, McAllen, Corpus Christi and Laredo.

Community care facilities

Urgent care locations and retail pharmacies in our community care network also offer COVID-19 vaccines to Veterans. These locations follow their local, state, or territory vaccine plans. Veterans don’t receive priority over others seeking vaccines at these locations.

If you’re enrolled in VA health care and you go to a community care location to get a COVID-19 vaccine, download our pharmacy billing information card (PDF). Show the card to the provider before you get your vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines are currently provided free of charge to all Americans and there will be no cost to you for receiving your COVID-19 vaccine.

Download our pharmacy billing information card (PDF)

Learn more about how to get a COVID-19 vaccine from a community provider

We encourage you to take the first opportunity you have to get a vaccine at the most convenient location for you. 

Find other vaccine providers near you on the CDC vaccine finder website

If you’re currently receiving care at VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System, we may contact you by phone. If you’re eligible and want to get a vaccine, we encourage you to respond.

Here are some information before you provide any personal information: 

• Text messages will always come from 80728.
• Emails will always come from a va.gov email address.
• If someone calls you from VA and you don’t recognize the phone number, ask for a number to call them back. Then call your local VA health facility to verify.

Before you get a vaccine, tell the provider giving you the vaccine about all your health conditions. Be sure to tell your provider if any of the below are true for you:

• You have any allergies
• You have a fever
• You have a bleeding disorder or are on a blood thinner
• You have a condition that weakens your immune system and makes you immunocompromised (like cancer, HIV, an organ transplant, or a genetic immune deficiency)
• You’re taking a medicine that affects your immune system (like chemotherapy or corticosteroids)
• You’re pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding
• You’ve received another COVID-19 vaccine

If you’ve had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredients in a COVID-19 vaccine, you shouldn’t get the same COVID-19 vaccine again. But you may be able to receive a different type of COVID-19 vaccine.

To find out what you should know before you get a vaccine, including a list of ingredients, read the FDA fact sheets:

• FDA Janssen COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet (PDF)
• FDA Moderna COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet (PDF)
• FDA Novavax COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet (PDF)
• FDA Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet

Go to the CDC website to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and allergic reactions 

You may have some side effects after you get a COVID-19 vaccine. Side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection against COVID-19.

These side effects may feel like the flu. They may even affect your ability to work or do other daily activities. But any side effects should go away in a few days.

Some people have reported severe allergic reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine. When you get a COVID-19 vaccine at VA, we’ll closely monitor your reaction for either 15 or 30 minutes after your vaccine. We’ll also give you all the information you need about what to do if you experience any side effects.

To learn more about the side effects reported for the 4 authorized vaccines, read the FDA fact sheets:

• FDA Janssen COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet (PDF)
• FDA Moderna COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet (PDF)
• FDA Novavax COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet (PDF)
• FDA Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine fact sheet