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COVID-19 vaccines and testing

Safe care is our mission. The Milwaukee VA offers the COVID-19 vaccine to enrolled Veterans only at no cost.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information 

The health and safety or our Veterans and staff remain a top priority for VA. Vaccine remains the best way to protect everyone from serious illness. Protect yourself, your family, and your community by scheduling your appointment today. COVID-19 vaccine has been proven to be effective in diminishing the spread of the virus within our communities.

The Milwaukee VA offers updated (bivalent) COVID-19 booster shots. All shots are by appointment. To schedule an appointment, contact the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, Green Bay VA Health Care Center, Appleton VA, Cleveland VA, Union Grove VA, or Oconomowoc VA community-based outpatient clinics:

If you choose to receive a shot in the community, please let your VA care team know so our records are up to date.

Veterans are asked to bring their valid VA ID card with them and the CDC Vaccination Card.

Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines

Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines | COVID-19 | CDC

What to know
  • Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine.
  • The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect you from severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
  • It is especially important to get your 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine if you are ages 65 and older, are at high risk for severe COVID-19, or have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to get your 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine.
Who needs a COVID-19 vaccine

Everyone ages 6 months and older should get the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, people who have had COVID-19, and people with long COVID.

Importance of staying up to date
  • Getting the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine is important because:
    • Protection from the COVID-19 vaccine decreases with time.
    • Immunity after COVID-19 infection decreases with time.
    • COVID-19 vaccines are updated to give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains.
  • Getting the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine is especially important if you:

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer, more reliable way to build protection than getting sick with COVID-19. Learn more about the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine

When are you up to date?

People ages 12–64 years
  • You are up to date when you have received:
    • 1 dose of the 2024–2025 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine OR
    • 1 dose of the 2024–2025 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine OR
    • 1 dose of the 2024–2025 Novavax vaccine unless you are receiving a COVID-19 vaccine for the very first time. If you have never received any COVID-19 vaccine and get Novavax, you need 2 doses of 2024–2025 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date.
People ages 65 years and older

You are up to date when you have received:

  • 2 doses of any 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine 6 months apart.
    • While it is the recommended to get 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine doses 6 months apart, the minimum time is 2 months apart, which allows flexibility to get the second dose prior to typical COVID-19 surges, travel, life events, and healthcare visits
Exceptions
  • If you are receiving a COVID-19 vaccine for the first time and getting Novavax, you need:
    • 2 doses of 2024–2025 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine 3–8 weeks apart
    • A 3rd dose of any COVID-19 vaccine 6 months later
  • If you received 1 dose of Novavax vaccine before the 2024–2025 vaccine, you need:
    • A 2nd dose of 2024–2025 Novavax vaccine AND
    • A 3rd dose of any 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine 6 months later

People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised

There are different recommendations if you are moderately or severely immunocompromised; see Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People.

People who recently had COVID-19

  • If you recently had COVID-19, you may delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine for 3 months after symptoms started OR after receiving a positive test with no symptoms
  • The risk of getting COVID-19 is less likely in the weeks to months following a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • Certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as:

Three vaccines are available for use in the United States. There is no preference for one vaccine over the other when more than one vaccine is recommended for an age group.

The 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccines more closely target the JN.1 lineage of the Omicron variant. 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccines are updated to give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains.

  • 2024-2025 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older.
  • 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older.
  • 2024-2025 Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine is recommended for everyone age 12 years and older.

COVID-19 Testing

Contact your primary care office for questions about COVID-19 testing.

Milwaukee VA does not have home testing kits available for distribution. Information about testing can be found on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website at www.covid.gov.

 

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