Frequently Asked Questions

For information about the vaccine, safety, distribution priorities, clinics, FAQs, and more:
• Visit the NYS COVID-19 vaccine website,
• Call the NYS Vaccination Hotline, 1.833.NYS.4VAX (1.833.697.4829).
• Call the Upstate COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline, 315.464.3979 (option #2)
• Email your questions to CovidVaccineInfo@Upstate.edu.

To find out if you are eligible for the vaccine and for a list of clinic locations, please use the "Am I Eligible" tool or call the New York State Vaccination Hotline, 1-833-NYS-4VAX (1-833-697-4829). Seniors and those without internet access may call 211 for assistance.

Supply is limited and demand is high, so it may take some time to get an appointment.

New York State Clinics (including the Fairgrounds)
To make an appointment at a New York State-run vaccine site, “Am I Eligible” tool or call the New York State Vaccination Hotline, 1.833.NYS.4VAX (1.833.697.4829).

Onondaga County Clinic
Clinics are NOT open to the general public and are by appointment only. If you are a member of Phase 1a or 1b and are currently eligible to receive the vaccine, you can make an appointment for your FIRST dose here. If there are no appointments available, please check back. Timeslots are added once the vaccine supply is confirmed each week. This assures there is enough vaccine for the number of appointments that are scheduled and prevents cancellations due to inadequate supply.

If you are currently eligible to receive the vaccine, you may register for an appointment here. If there are currently no appointment times available on our site, please keep checking back. Appointment times are added once the vaccine supply is confirmed each week. This assures there is enough vaccine for the number of appointments that are scheduled and prevents cancellations due to inadequate supply.

Once you have an appointment,

1. Complete the New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Form attesting to your eligibility status. This form can be completed online and you will receive a submission ID. *Please show this submission ID when you arrive at the clinic (you may print or show on your phone).
2. Provide proof of eligibility upon arrival at the clinic.
   Any person arriving for vaccination who does not have proof of their occupation or priority status will not be vaccinated. This can include government-issued ID proving age (65 or over), an employee ID card, a letter from an employer or affiliated organization, or a pay stub. Alternatively, employers or organizations can provide a list of staff who meet the criteria for vaccination.
3. Bring your insurance card with you to the clinic. Insurance information will be collected, but there will be no out of pocket costs. You do not need to have insurance to get the vaccine.
4. Print and complete the NYS COVID-19 Immunization Screening and Consent Form and bring it with you to your appointment.

Even if there are currently no appointment times available on our vaccine registration site, please keep checking back. Appointment times are added once the vaccine supply is confirmed each week. This assures there is enough vaccine for the number of appointments that are scheduled and prevents cancellations due to inadequate supply.

Please be prepared for your appointment with the following:

1. Complete the New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Form attesting to your eligibility status. This form can be completed online and you will receive a submission ID. *Please show this submission ID when you arrive at the clinic (you may print or show on your phone).
2. Provide proof of eligibility upon arrival at the clinic.
   Individuals being vaccinated must bring proof of eligibility to the vaccination site. This may include an employee ID card, a letter from an employer or affiliated organization, or a pay stub, depending on the specific priority status. If you are eligible because of your age, bring a government-issued ID that includes your date of birth (like a Driver’s License or passport). Any person arriving for vaccination who does not have proof of their occupation or priority status will not be vaccinated. 
3. Bring your insurance card with you to the clinic. Insurance information will be collected, but there will be no out of pocket costs. You do not need to have insurance to get the vaccine.
4. Print and complete the NYS COVID-19 Immunization Screening and Consent Form and bring it with you to your appointment.

Yes. Individuals being vaccinated must bring proof of eligibility to the vaccination site. This may include an employee ID card, a letter from an employer or affiliated organization, or a pay stub, depending on the specific priority status. If you are eligible because of your age, bring a government-issued ID that includes your date of birth (like a Driver’s License or passport).

You do not need to have insurance to get the vaccine. Insurance information will be collected, but there will be no out-of-pocket costs.

The Onondaga County Clinic is currently providing the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

The COVID-19 vaccine requires a second dose of the same vaccine. They are not interchangeable. The second dose must be administered 21 days (Pfizer vaccine) or 28 days (Moderna vaccine) after the first dose. Those who receive the vaccine must return to the same location to receive the second dose unless NYSDOH approves an alternative due to extenuating circumstances.

If you received the first dose from an Onondaga County clinic you will be auto-scheduled for your second dose appointment. It will be at the same time as your first dose appointment on the date indicated on your vaccination card. You will be receiving a reminder email before your appointment with all the details. PLEASE NOTE: You must bring the vaccine card proving you received the first dose with you to your appointment.

The COVID-19 vaccine requires a second dose of the same vaccine. They are not interchangeable. The second dose must be administered 21 days (Pfizer vaccine) or 28 days (Moderna vaccine) after the first dose. Those who receive the vaccine must return to the same location to receive the second dose unless NYSDOH approves an alternative due to extenuating circumstances.

If you received the first dose from an Onondaga County clinic you will be auto-scheduled for your second dose appointment. It will be at the same time as your first dose appointment on the date indicated on your vaccination card. You will be receiving a reminder email before your appointment with all the details. PLEASE NOTE: You must bring the vaccine card proving you received the first dose with you to your appointment.

The COVID-19 vaccine requires a second dose of the same vaccine. They are not interchangeable. The second dose must be administered 21 days (Pfizer vaccine) or 28 days (Moderna vaccine) after the first dose. Those who receive the vaccine must return to the same location to receive the second dose unless NYSDOH approves an alternative due to extenuating circumstances.

If you received the first dose from an Onondaga County clinic and do not already have an appointment, you will receive an email (or phone call if you do not have email) with registration instructions the week before you are due for your second dose. PLEASE NOTE: You must bring the vaccine card proving you received the first dose with you to your appointment.

The CDC and New York State are setting the vaccine priorities. Please keep checking the NYS COVID website as well as news out of the Governor's office for the most up-to-date information.

New York State is working with the CDC to find out how to best define this category, and those who are immunocompromised according to the definition will be added to the eligibility list as soon as possible.

Please keep checking the NYS COVID website as well as news out of the Governor's office for the most up-to-date information.

The Federal Government determines how much vaccine New York State receives, and has only given New York approximately 250,000 to 300,000 vaccines per week for the over 7 million people who are eligible. As a result, supply is very limited, and it could take up to 14 weeks for eligible New Yorkers to schedule their vaccine shot.

The clinic at the Expo Center at the Fairgrounds is run by New York State, so please call their COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline, which is open 7AM - 10PM, 7 days a week: 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829).

It is normal to have certain reactions after a vaccination. There may be redness, swelling or pain around the injection site. Fatigue, fever, headache and aching limbs are also not uncommon in the first three days after vaccination. When mild side effects occur, they are a normal sign your body is building protection to the virus, and most go away in a few days. Learn more here.

After receiving your vaccine, please register for v-safe, a smartphone-based tool that provides personalized health check-ins so you can quickly tell CDC if you have any side effects or report side effects through the CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

The groundbreaking cooperation between leading medical experts here in America and pharmaceutical companies globally has made a return to normal possible thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine. The speed of development was due to the sharing of research on a scale never attempted before – and every study, and every phase of every trial, was carefully reviewed and approved by a safety board and the FDA. The process was transparent and rigorous throughout, with continual oversight and expert approval. Data will continue to be collected two years after each vaccine is first administered to ensure that the long-term effects are safe.

Anyone can now get tested for COVID-19. Call your primary care physician, search for a test site near you, or click here for information about asymptomatic testing at the Oncenter or community locations and symptomatic/exposure testing (including for K-12 schools) at the CNY Regional Market F-shed.

Anyone can now get tested for COVID-19, regardless of whether you have symptoms. It is especially important to get tested when:

• An individual is symptomatic or has a history of symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g. fever, cough, and/or trouble breathing), particularly if the individual is 70 years of age or older, the individual has a weakened immune system, or the individual has an underlying health condition); or
• An individual has had close (i.e. within six feet) or proximate contact with a person known to be positive with COVID-19; or
• An individual is subject to a precautionary or mandatory quarantine; or
• An individual is employed as a health care worker, first responder, or other essential worker who directly interacts with the public while working.

Contact the provider where the test was given. If your test is positive, you will be contacted by the Onondaga County Health Department.

If your test is positive, you will receive a text message from the Onondaga County Health Department asking you some initial questions. You will then be contacted by a case investigator who will interview you to gather information including symptom history, source of illness, list of close contacts, and activity history while infectious. The case investigator will provide you with instructions for isolation and help you get any services you may need while in isolation. You will receive an official isolation order. That order indicates the date of release, which serves as the official paperwork for return to work or school.

An antibody test looks for the presence of antibodies, which are specific proteins made in response to infections. Antibodies can be found in the blood of people who are tested after infection and show that people have had an immune response to the infection. Antibody test results are especially important for detecting previous infections with few or no symptoms. We do not know, however, if the antibodies that result from SARS-CoV-2 infection will provide someone with immunity from future infection.

If you would like to receive antibody testing, please contact your primary care provider. Please keep in mind the following:
• The offered test may not have been reviewed by the FDA.
• Negative results do not rule out COVID-19 infection
• Positive antibody test results does not mean you have immunity against the virus

Based on our knowledge of how the body reacts to an infection, we presume that the presence of antibodies could mean that you have some level of immunity to a virus. However, at this time, it is unclear whether the presence of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) IgG antibodies will result in immunity to prevent future COVID-19 infections. We will better understand immunity to SARS-CoV-2 as we study what happens to people who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and are again exposed to SARS-CoV-2, to determine if any of them are confirmed to have new infections.

Information about the Plasma Project at Upstate can be found here.

Please see our school reopening page for links to resources and a list of school-specific FAQs.

ISOLATION: An individual who has tested positive of COVID-19 will be placed under an order of mandatory isolation by the Onondaga County Health Department’s Commissioner’s Order of isolation or quarantine. A person should remain indoors at their home location and avoid contact with others at all times, including members of their own household. Monitoring will be conducted by OCHD for these individuals to determine the best time for release from isolation (typically 10 days after onset of symptoms, or 10 days after test date if not symptomatic).

QUARANTINE: Individuals who were directly exposed to a positive case and identified as close contacts are placed under an order of mandatory quarantine, and must remain at their home location at all times and avoid contact with anyone outside of their household until release from quarantine (typically 14 days from last known contact with a positive case).

If you have the ability to access text messaging, you will be signed up for an automated symptom monitoring system through New York State. If you have questions or concerns regarding your symptoms please call your primary care provider.

OCHD conducts an investigation of each individual with a positive COVID-19 diagnostic test and identifies others who may have been exposed to them. If you are identified as a contact, a NYS Contact Tracer will reach out to you and direct you to quarantine. Continue to practice social distancing and monitor yourself for symptoms.

A copy of the emergency order to quarantine for individuals waiting for test results can be found here.

An investigator from OCHD will describe services available during the monitoring process. When possible, find a friend or family member to make a contact-free delivery of necessities to your home. The Nutrition Assistance Hotline is a resource available and can be reached at 315.218.1987.

In some situations, a COVID-positive individual in mandatory isolation will be released before some of their contacts in quarantine. COVID cases are required to remain isolated for a minimum of 10 days from the date their symptoms started (or from the date of a positive test if asymptomatic). Those identified as close contacts must quarantine for 10 days from the date of exposure to the COVID case, which could vary from contact to contact based on their last date of exposure.

You should consult with your employer regarding your role at your place of employment. In some situations, an individual in quarantine and not experiencing symptoms may report to work as long as they quarantine themselves at home when not working, and follow infection control procedures of your workplace. For more information, visit return to work for essential personnel.

Information about Paid Family Leave for COVID-19 can be found here.

You must remain in quarantine for the full duration listed on your initial quarantine order in case symptoms develop. In New York State, mandatory quarantine is 10 days. Testing is not a substitute for quarantine because the test only measures whether you are currently infected with the virus, and it can take time for an infection to develop after being exposed. For example, someone can be exposed on a Monday, test negative on Thursday, develop a clinical infection on Saturday, and then test positive on Sunday. For this reason, quarantine needs to last for 10 days even if you have a negative test result after being exposed.

OCHD is not issuing orders of mandatory quarantine for individuals not being tracked by our investigators. If your primary care provider placed you into quarantine, they are responsible for providing the excuse to be out of work.

The original quarantine order lists the dates of your quarantine period. Please provide this to your employer as documentation to return to work.

New York State now allows travelers to New York to “test out” of the mandatory 10-day quarantine for asymptomatic individuals. For details please see https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory.

By Executive Order, adults and children over 2 years of age who are medically able to tolerate it must wear a mask or other face covering that covers their nose and mouth when in a public space where a 6-foot distance from others cannot be maintained (grocery stores, public transportation, for-hire transportation such as a taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc.). Employees at any facility must wear a mask when interacting directly with the public.

You can purchase them online or you can make your own masks. Guidelines by the CDC for making your own mask can be found here.

Currently there are no travel restrictions in NYS. If it is necessary for you to travel outside of the area, it is recommended that you monitor yourself for symptoms and continue to follow social distancing guidelines. Please check with the local Health Department of the area you plan to travel to for additional information on their current policies.

By Executive Order, non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason are canceled or postponed at this time. In-person gatherings are to be avoided unless they are necessary. While funeral homes and cemeteries may continue to operate given their essential business designation by the Empire State Development Corporation, in-person services should be postponed when possible. If in-person services must be held, the gathering should be limited to only immediate family, with as few persons physically present as possible. Further, funeral homes should prohibit out-of-town participants, unless they are the sole attendees, and maximize social distancing among any in-person attendees (e.g. holding services outside or limiting indoor capacity). In-person funeral participants should be reminded to practice social distancing when encountering someone outside of their immediate household. Specifically, we recommend:

• Whenever possible, postponing services to a later date.
• Final disposition, either burial or cremation, should take place as soon as possible.
• Where available, consider live-streaming the committal or funeral services.
• If committal takes place at a cemetery, call ahead for instructions, and consider having the attendees remain in their vehicles.
• At all graveside services, social distancing should be followed.

You can find more information about cleaning and disinfection here.

You can find current information on essential businesses here.

As we progress through the zoned closure/reopening process in Onondaga County, guidance is available for businesses here. If you have specific questions, email reopen@ongov.net or call 315.435.2210.

You can issue a general statement to remind everyone to practice social distancing and personal hygiene, and advise to self-monitor for symptoms. You may issue a statement that someone at the facility has tested positive, but may not identify the individual. If you or someone at the facility is identified to have been an exposed contact of a case during the investigation process, OCHD will reach out to you directly and provide further guidance.

You can find more information about cleaning and disinfection here.

If you are concerned about a local business not following guidelines, you may report a complaint using the Onondaga County COVID-19 'New York on PAUSE' Enforcement Task Force Violation Complaint Form.

We congratulate all the graduates and their families and wish everyone the best for safe, healthy, and happy graduation ceremonies. Decisions around hosting safe and socially distanced graduation ceremonies will remain at the discretion of local school boards and superintendents. Districts and schools may choose to postpone graduation ceremonies, although it is not known when large-scale, in-person events will be able to be safely held. Alternatively, districts and schools can choose to honor graduating students in a way that prioritizes the health and safety of participants and complies with state and local social distancing orders and guidelines. The Onondaga County Health Department understands the importance of graduation ceremonies in the lives of our students and families, and is providing this guidance for public and nonpublic schools to consider when navigating these concerns at the local level.

Please contact 315.435.2525 for information about testing and PPE.

NYSDOH is the regulatory party for Nursing Homes and Adult Care facilities. For information or to file a complaint, please visit profiles.health.ny.gov/nursing_home/pages/complaints.

Please see New York State's Updated Guidance on healthcare personnel returning to work after a COVID-19 exposure or travel outside of New York State or its contiguous states.

If you feel someone is not following social distancing guidelines, please feel empowered to call 911 to report this complaint.

You can find current information on essential businesses here. To file a complaint through the Attorney General Labor Bureau, visit this page to view a list of topics, or contact 212.416.8700. To report a local business not following guidelines, you may report a complaint using the Onondaga County COVID-19 'New York on PAUSE' Enforcement Task Force Violation Complaint Form.