TCWH Clinics | COVID-19 Vaccine NYS Updates | Immunizations for School | Resources
Watch the video story about our COVID-19 Community Resilience Mural
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Tompkins County offers New York State funded vaccines at our immunization clinics for eligible children and adults. TCWH provides vaccines required for school as well as those recommended by the CDC. If you have a Primary Care Provider (PCP), contact them first for your immunization needs.
You are always welcome to call us to ask questions about vaccine safety and effectiveness, or talk about any concerns you have. Dial 607-274-6604 (or scan the code) Mon-Fri, 8:30-4:30.
The VFC program offers state funded vaccines to eligible children less than 19 years of age. Your children may be eligible for VFC if they:
Recommended Immunizations for Birth Through 6 Years Old / Recommended Immunizations for Children 7-18 Years Old
The VFA program offers state funded vaccines to eligible adults ages 19 and over. You may be eligible for VFA if you:
College students of any age are eligible to receive the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine through the VFA program, regardless of insurance status.
Recommended schedule for all adults
We serve community members with no insurance, or with Medicaid or a Medicaid managed care plan. (You do not have to be a Tompkins County resident.)
Note: If you have a primary care provider or pediatrician, please contact them to make an appointment for immunizations. If you have insurance but no primary care provider we will help you connect with a health care provider. Call 607-274-6604.
Note: Vaccine availability is subject to change. Please call CHS at 607-274-6604 for the most updated information on vaccine availability.
In New York State, licensed physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists have been authorized to prescribe and provide COVID-19 vaccine by an executive order by the Governor. In NYS, you can now go to your primary healthcare provider to request a prescription for vaccination or go directly to the pharmacy to request a prescription and get vaccinated. Everyone is eligible to be vaccinated.
Questions about vaccines? Call our office at 607-274-6604.
*VaCS is “Vaccination Conversations with Scientists,” an Ithaca-based volunteer managed non-profit initiative monitoring the availability of COVID-19 vaccinations at pharmacies in Tompkins and Cortland Counties. .
The best time to get your Covid vaccine is in the fall, along with your flu vaccine. Respiratory viruses circulate at higher levels in the winter so it’s ideal to get vaccinated prior to holiday gatherings. The month of October is generally recommended as a good month to get your Covid and flu vaccine. If you have been recently infected with Covid, you may delay getting your Covid vaccine for 3 months following your Covid infection as you have some natural immunity.
There are four Covid-19 vaccines available for the 2025-2026 season:
Please check this list for information on which pharmacies are carrying which vaccines: Local COVID-19 Vaccine Locations – Vaccination Conversations with Scientists
For additional information: COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions
The most common side effects of vaccination are a low-grade fever, mild aches, and swelling and redness or soreness at the injection site. These are signs that the vaccine is working and the body has been activated to build a defense against the disease.
Vaccination FAQs
The 2025-2026 Covid vaccines are all monovalent vaccines, made to work against the JN.1 lineage of Covid-19, specifically the LP.8.1 strain.
For additional information: COVID-19 Vaccines (2025-2026 Formula) for Use in the United States Beginning in Fall 2025 | FDA
“Off-label” is a term used to describe a medication or vaccine that is being used differently than the label from the FDA. Physicians often prescribe medications “off-label” with some estimates being that 1 in 5 prescriptions written are for “off-label” use. This generally means that your provider has had a conversation with you about the benefits and risks of getting a medication off label and that the benefits outweigh the risks. In the case of the Covid vaccine, evidence continues to show a strong benefit for vaccination for everyone.
No, not in New York State. Current FDA labelling restricts the Covid vaccine to people over age 65 or people with a pre-existing health condition. New York State governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order allowing pharmacists to administer the Covid vaccine “off label” to everyone using a patient-specific medical order. This has expanded access to the Covid vaccine to everyone ages 3 and up in New York State.
For additional information: No. 52: Declaring a Disaster in the State of New York Due to Federal Actions Related to Vaccine Access | Governor Kathy Hochul
There is no vaccine approved for use in infants less than 6 months of age. Infants over 6 months of age can be vaccinated if they have an underlying health condition or “off label” by a patient-specific order if immunization is desired. Please consult with your infant’s pediatrician regarding Covid vaccination. NYSDOH recommends all infants ages 6 months to 23 months be vaccinated as this group is high risk for complications and hospitalizations due to Covid.
For additional information: 2025–2026 COVID-19 Immunization Guidance for Children
Yes, vaccination is recommended for pregnant women by ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) and by NYSDOH. Pregnancy is an independent risk factor for severe illness due to Covid-19.
For additional information: 2025–2026 COVID-19 Immunization Guidance for Pregnant People
It depends. This varies depending on which pharmacy you are going to. Most pharmacies allow you to self-attest. We recommend you check this list for more information on all the pharmacies in Tompkins County: Local COVID-19 Vaccine Locations – Vaccination Conversations with Scientists
It depends. Some pharmacies are requiring a prescription, and others are not. You can check this list for detailed information on each pharmacy: Local COVID-19 Vaccine Locations – Vaccination Conversations with Scientists
No. If you do not have insurance, you can get certain vaccines (including COVID-19 vaccine) at Tompkins County Whole Health’s immunization clinic. More information on eligibility for these programs and specific vaccines available here: Immunization & Vaccines | Tompkins County
You may get vaccinated at a pharmacy or physician office without insurance, but you will be considered a self-pay patient and will be charged the full cost of the vaccine plus an administration fee.
If you do not have insurance, we recommend that you call 211 (1-877-211-8667) and ask to speak to an insurance navigator. There are many affordable options through the NY State Marketplace.
The best way to know this is to contact your health insurance company directly and ask. Phone numbers for customer service are usually listed on the back side of your insurance card.
If your insurance doesn’t cover the cost of the vaccine, you would be considered underinsured and would qualify to get vaccine through the Vaccines for Adults program at Tompkins County Whole Health: Immunization & Vaccines | Tompkins County
At this time, we are not planning to host any large vaccination clinics. The pharmacies in Tompkins County will be the main provider of Covid vaccine to the public. We will continue to monitor vaccine access and will inform the public if a large vaccination clinic is planned.
Avoid people who are sick. Wear a mask in public if you are high risk (immunocompromised). Consider use of air filters to reduce infectious airborne particles. Wash hands well and often. For additional information: Preventing Respiratory Illnesses | Respiratory Illnesses | CDC
Any positive test that is lab-verified (PCR or antigen) is recorded by NYS and tracked accordingly. We post weekly Tompkins County “NYS new weekly positive PCR & Antigen tests” on our website. To report an at-home positive test, you can go online to NIH funded "Make My Test Count".
Please note: At-home tests are no longer included in the NYS total counts. Only tests run by labs (aka tests taken in doctor’s offices) are included in the weekly count.
Come to our office at 55 Brown Road during business hours, Mon-Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm. Test kits are available to grab-and-go (contact free) in the lobby vestibule (there is a purple storage unit). Test kits are available at no cost while supplies last. Questions? Call our office at: 607-274-6600.
9/17/2025
For COVID-19 vaccination information and location updates see the section above.
Be sure to check the pharmacy's website or call about hours and availability.
[Links verified 9/2/25]
TCWH offers in-home Covid and flu vaccinations to Tompkins County residents who are considered homebound. This means that you require the use of a walker or wheelchair to leave your home, your health condition may worsen if you leave your home, it is difficult for you to leave your home and you usually do not leave your home. Please call 607-274-6604 to register for this service.
TCWH offers mobile flu clinics during the start of flu season, usually in the month of October. If your organization is interested in hosting a flu clinic and has at least 10 people who want to be vaccinated, please call 607-274-6604 to speak with a nurse manager to organize this. Planning for mobile flu clinics usually starts in July or August.
Travel Clinics provide travel vaccines, malaria prevention, travelers’ diarrhea prevention and management, among other services for travelers. Following are local travel clinics. Visit their websites for all services provided.
Outside of Tompkins County
Many children need to receive vaccines during the summer to stay up-to-date and comply with school vaccination requirements.
Please review the following schedules before school starts.
All kids entering 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th grade must have the meningococcal vaccine. Without it, they cannot start school.
School children are now mandated to be immunized with a complete series of all required vaccines — or be in the process of doing so — in order to attend classes. Under the current definition of “in process,” children who are not fully immunized can only continue to attend school or pre-K if they are in the process of completing their immunization according to the ACIP catch-up schedule. If children are following other immunization schedules that do not meet the intervals specified by the ACIP catch-up schedule, then they are no longer considered to be “in process” and must be excluded from school, if not otherwise exempt.
The Campaign to ImmuNYze all New Yorkers is an initiative of the County Health Officials of New York (NYSACHO), bringing together patients, parents, providers and campaign partners. Our goal: to heighten awareness of the need to immunize throughout life — from infancy through senior years — by offering reliable, science-based information on vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases.
For more information, download brochures here: “Be Wise, Immunize!”(PDF, 1MB) and “Don’t Wait, Vaccinate!”(PDF, 1MB)
Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) are fact sheets produced by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) Each VIS explains to vaccine recipients, their parents, or their legal representatives both the benefits and risks of a vaccine. At any TCHD clinic, you will be provided with the specific VIS for the vaccine or vaccines you or your child are about to receive. You will also be given time to review it before the vaccine is administered.
9/19/2025