MyChart
COVID Vaccine News and Information (updated 4/13/21)
We continue to follow the state’s recommendations. St. Luke’s is one of many providers giving COVID-19 vaccinations in Idaho. You can find a list of vaccine providers for your area on the Idaho COVID-19 Vaccination Information site.
Your Next Steps
- Log into St. Luke’s myChart. (If you don’t have an account, you can create one online or by calling 208-381-9000.)
- Click on Schedule COVID Vaccine Appointment.
- Answer a few quick questions and then schedule your vaccine appointment.
For minors 16-17 years old:
- Minors cannot consent for a COVID vaccine. They must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to provide consent at the time of the appointment. Written or verbal consent will need to be provided by a parent or legal guardian, if not present at the time of the appointment.
- Teens 16-17 years old can only receive the Pfizer vaccine, which is available at St. Luke’s sites in Nampa, Meridian, Boise and Twin Falls.
- Minors cannot schedule their own appointments in myChart. Parents or legal guardians with teen proxy access can schedule for the minor. To get teen proxy access, the teen will need to grant teen proxy access to their parent or legal guardian through their own MyChart account.
- Parents can schedule without proxy access by calling 208-381-9500.
- Minors can schedule their own vaccine appointment by calling 208-381-9500, however, they must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to provide consent at the time of the appointment, or provide written or verbal consent of a parent or legal guardian, if not present at the time of the appointment.
- How to schedule:
- Log into St. Luke’s myChart. (If a minor doesn’t have an account, they will need to get an activation code online or by calling 208-381-9000.)
- Click on Schedule COVID Vaccine Appointment.
- Answer a few quick questions and then schedule your vaccine appointment.
- Or call 208-381-9500.
St. Luke's Pauses Johnson & Johnson Vaccinations
CDC/FDA recommended the pause as they review six cases of a rare but severe type of blood clot (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) in women ages 18 to 48 who received the vaccine. As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of J&J have been administered.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet Wednesday, April 14 to review the cases and determine their significance. The FDA will review the analysis as well.
St. Luke’s only administers J&J on Thursdays, when it’s available, at St. Luke’s Plaza 4 in Boise. We will offer Moderna to patients who are scheduled for this Thursday, April 15. Those who receive Moderna will need to follow up in 28 days with a booster. We have hundreds of open appointments in Boise and the Magic Valley for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. It is important that people get vaccinated as soon as possible regardless of the vaccine brand.
In the six cases that have been reported, symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination. People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. Health care providers are asked to report adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
FAQs: Vaccine Basics
Click each question below for its answer:
Pfizer has reported that its vaccine is 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, once seven days have passed since the second vaccine dose (booster shot). The Moderna vaccine is reporting a 94.5% effectiveness rate.
The COVID vaccine will help your body generate antibodies to help protect you from the virus without getting sick. Vaccines can produce longer-lasting protection than if you had the disease. Research shows antibodies in recovering adults last up to four months. The CDC says more data is needed to know how long immunity produced by the vaccination will last.
Please review the fact sheets for each vaccine, as developed by the manufacturers:
These are not new technologies. The vaccines are actually set up to give us immunity that is better than natural infection. We know the side effects of the natural infection. When we compare the risks to those at the frontlines that are being exposed to the virus and those in our community who are at high-risk for severe disease and death, those risks greatly overshadow the unknown risks of the vaccine.
No, it is made from a portion of the virus’ molecular material (RNA). For more information on the science behind the vaccine, please visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site, Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines. Also check out, Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines.
Yes, because the vaccine is 95% effective, not 100% effective. Those exposed to the virus later, after the booster vaccine, tended to have mild symptoms if they became ill at all.
The American Lung Association’s blog says, “In most cases, herd immunity is not achieved without an effective vaccine. For COVID-19, the percentage of the population that needs to be infected to achieve herd immunity is estimated to be between 70% and 90%, and this is assuming lasting immunity is possible.”
Herd immunity could happen naturally but would take years. Also, we know acquiring immunity through natural disease is risky to that person and comes with a high cost of hospitalizations, long-term health problems and even more deaths.
Older age and underlying medical conditions including obesity, a compromised immune system, hypertension, COPD, diabetes, and heart disease increase the risk of severe illness from the virus and should be considered as well. You may wish to discuss with your primary care provider.
Idaho Resources
National Resources
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC): COVID-19 FAQs
- National Institutes of Health (NIH): Coronavirus
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA): COVID-19 Vaccines
FAQs: Getting the Vaccine
Click each question below for its answer:
If you don’t have a myChart account, you can create one online or by calling 208-381-9000. If you are unable to use technology or need interpretation services, please call 208-381-9500. You may also set up online myChart proxy access for family members or dependents and fill out a questionnaire for them.
Community COVID-19 Vaccination Sites
- Boise: St. Luke’s Internal Medicine – Park Boulevard, 1000 E. Park Blvd.
- Boise: St. Luke's Plaza (Plaza 4) - 800 E. Park Blvd.
- Fruitland: St. Luke's Clinic – Family Medicine: Fruitland, 1210 NW 16th Street
- McCall: St. Luke’s Clinic – Payette Lakes Family Medicine, 211 Forest St.
- Meridian: St. Luke’s Clinic – Travel Medicine & Immunizations, in St. Luke’s Medical Center Office Building, 520 S. Eagle Road, Suite 1221, first floor
- Mountain Home: Elmore Quick Care, in St. Luke’s Clinic-Elmore Specialties, 840 N. 4th East
- Nampa: St. Luke’s Family Medicine, North Entrance of St. Luke’s Nampa, 9850 W. St. Luke’s St., Suite 290
- Twin Falls: St. Luke’s Clinic – Physician Center, in St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center, 775 Pole Line Road West, Suite 105
- Twin Falls: St. Luke's Surgery Center, 575 Pole Line Road W.
- Wood River: St. Luke’s Clinic – Obstetrics and Gynecology, in St. Luke’s Wood River Physician Offices Annex, 100 Hospital Drive, Suite 200
Pfizer and Moderna both require two doses. Pfizer is given 21 days apart, and Moderna, 28 days apart. You will need to have both shots of the same vaccine, without mixing vaccine types. The first shot (primer) and the second shot (booster) are the same.
Janssen’s (Johnson & Johnson) is one dose.
Johnson & Johnson: Pain at the injection site is most common. Other common reactions included headache, fatigue and myalgia. Most symptoms resolved in one to two days.
It is important to note that reactions after the vaccine and the actual COVID-19 infection are significantly different. Vaccine reactions may involve some mild symptoms occurring in the first couple of days, coupled with the pain at the injection site, redness and swelling (from the vaccine), as noted above. By contrast, the COVID-19 infection reaction has a respiratory component, cough and nasal congestion, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath, much more fever, and also a longer period of muscle pain, fatigue and headache.
Infrequently, people who have received dermal fillers may develop swelling at or near the filler injection site, usually face or lips, after receiving a dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna). It appears to be temporary and can resolve with medical treatment, including corticosteroid therapy. People who have received dermal fillers can be vaccinated without additional precautions but should contact their health care provider if they develop swelling afterward.
Although the vaccine itself is free, the federal government has created a way for health systems to charge and bill for the administration of the drugs.
Health systems will receive reimbursement from insurance plans and the federal government with no cost to patients.
If the person has recently received the COVID-19 vaccine, the current CDC recommendations state the need to defer TST (TB skin test) or IGRA (TB blood test) until four weeks after completion of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. If the person is in that COVID-19 vaccine window, we recommend a healthcare screening to ensure that an individual does not have any symptoms of active (contagious) tuberculosis disease. This screening is provided by the Occupational Health clinics.
This health care screening does not rule out latent tuberculosis, which is when the disease is only in a dormant state and cannot be spread to others. However, with this preliminary clearance, testing for latent TB can be deferred until the four-week post-COVID-19 booster waiting period has ended. Once that person is past their COVID-19 vaccine window, they should proceed with the IGRA or TST, screening for latent TB.
FAQs: After Vaccination
Click each question below for its answer:
The CDC has published information on What to Expect after Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine and posts updates as more information becomes available.
When you receive a vaccination in one of our clinics, you will have the option to be monitored for about 15 minutes and medical staff will use safety precautions and respond immediately if you have an initial reaction. If you have a delayed reaction, please contact your primary care provider or call 911.
Yes. Experts need to know more about the protection provided by the vaccine, like how long it lasts, before changes are made to public prevention recommendations. To stop the pandemic, everyone should keep wearing masks, washing hands often and social distancing.
Masks are still required at all St. Luke's facilities, regardless of vaccination status.
Once there is herd immunity after most Americans are immunized, we should be able to move closer to a back-to-normal state.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine will affect when or if you are eligible to donate blood. View Red Cross guidelines
