All New Mexicans 16+ can self schedule vaccine appointments

Beginning Monday, April 26, all New Mexicans 16 years and older will be able to self-schedule their own vaccination appointments through vaccineNM.org. No event code is required while scheduling an appointment.

The state announced on April 5, that all phases (including 1A, 1B and 1C) are eligible to get the vaccine.

  • Phase 1A (primarily health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities)
  • New Mexicans age 75 and older (Don’t need an event code)
  • Educators, early childhood professionals, and school staff
  • New Mexicans with a chronic health condition (Don’t need an event code if you’re 60 and older)
  • Frontline essential workers
  • Residents of congregate care facilities 
  • New Mexicans age 60 and older
  • Other essential workers
  • General Public age 16 and older

What are the phases?

Phase 1A – Winter

  • Hospital personnel
  • Residents and staff of long-term care facilities
  • Medical first responders
  • Congregate setting workers (homeless shelters, correctional facilities, residential treatment centers, and community homes
  • Persons providing direct medical care and other in-person services
  • Home-based healthcare and hospice workers

Phase 1B – Winter/Spring

  • Persons 75+
  • Person16+ at risk of COVID complications
  • Because the number of people in Phase 1B is much larger than available supply, not all frontline essential workers can be vaccinated simultaneously. Frontline essential workers will be vaccinated in the following order.
    • Family home caregivers, child care workers
    • Early education and K-12 educators/staff and other personnel in educational institutions needed on-site to support in-person learning 
    • Grocery store workers
    • Food and agriculture workers, including farms, ranches and other food cultivation operations
    • Food processing or packaging operations 
    • Public transit workers 
    • Critical manufacturing workers 
    • Adult and child protective services workers 
    • Public health, environmental, occupational health and other workers who perform in-person inspections to promote health and safety of licensed and unlicensed facilities and operations
    • Mortuary, cremation and cemetery service workers 
    • Court personnel; elected and appointed officials in government who are unable to work remotely and/or telework
    • Personnel who provide in-person services necessary to maintain the safety and sanitation of residences or essential businesses including security services, towing services, custodial services, plumbers, electricians, and other skilled trades
    • Hardware and construction stores
    • Laundromats and dry cleaner services
    • Workers not covered in Phase 1A in research centers and laboratories who are unable to work remotely and/or telework
  • Vulnerable populations: Residents of congregate settings

Phase 1C – Spring

  • Adults 60+
  • Other essential workers unable to work remotely: Transport and logistics, utilities, energy, water and wastewater, food service, retail, shelter and housing, financial services, IT and communications, energy, legal and accounting, media, veterinary and livestock services

Phase 2 – Summer

  • Members of the general public (age 16+)

How do I register to get the vaccine?

In order to receive your COVID-19 vaccine, you must complete your profile on the New Mexico Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccine Registration website which includes: personal information, demographics, employer information, insurance information, and chronic medical conditions.

  • Once you have completed your profile, you will be contacted by the Department of Health as soon as you are able to schedule an appointment. On the day of your appointment, the Department of Health will prompt you to fill out your medical questionnaire.
  • To view your registration, you will need a registration code. To get the code go to the vaccine registration website, click VIEW MY PROFILE and click “Do not know your confirmation code?“
◎ Vaccine Registration Website ⇗
  • 1-855-600-3453
  • Press option 0 to Register for Vaccine or General Questions
  • Press option 4 for tech support
◎ Vaccine Status Dashboard ⇗
◎ Map: Tracking Vaccinations in New Mexico

How much does the COVID-19 vaccine cost?

The vaccine is free.

The federal government is requiring vaccine providers to administer vaccine to people regardless of their insurance status or immigration status.  And they must administer without charging them for the vaccine. Vaccination providers will be able to charge an administration fee that is reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Provider Relief Fund.

What happens if I get a bill for the COVID-19 vaccine?

The state’s Superintendent of Insurance says you should not be billed and if you do get one in the mail, call their hotline at 1-833-415-0566. They issued the following statement regarding the vaccines.

Who should I call if I have questions?

The New Mexico Department of Health has announced that the DOH hotline is now offering support for questions surrounding vaccine registration. Those who have questions would like support with the registration process, or those without internet access can dial 1-855-600-3453 and press option 0 for vaccine questions and then option 4 for tech support.

Will the vaccine be required for residents of New Mexico?

No.

Do I need the COVID-19 vaccine even if I’m not in a high-risk group?

Yes.  While many people with COVID-19 have only a mild illness, others may get a severe case or they may even die.  There is no way to know in advance how COVID-19 will affect you, even if you are not at increased risk of severe complications. 

Also, if you get infected, you may spread the disease to friends, family and others around you.  COVID-19 vaccination helps protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience sickness. The sooner most people are vaccinated and protected against COVID-19 disease, the sooner New Mexicans and all Americans can get back to normal life.

What do I need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine?

  • Side effects can affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.
  • The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine both need 2 shots in order to get the most protection. You should get the second shot even if you have side effects after the first shot, unless a vaccination provider or your doctor tells you not to get it.
  • You only need 1 shot of the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine to get the most protection. Learn more about the different COVID-19 vaccines.
  • It takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second shot of the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after the single-dose J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. You should keep using all the tools available to protect yourself and others until you are fully vaccinated.
  • After you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, you may be able to start doing some things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. Learn more about what you can do when you have been fully vaccinated – see below.
  • We are still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and washing your hands often. CDC will continue to update recommendations as we know more.

What are side effects of the vaccine?

According to the CDC, you may have some side effects after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. They say the side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.

Common Side Effects

On the arm where you got the shot:

  • Pain
  • Redness
  • Swelling

Throughout the rest of your body:

  • Tiredness
  • Headache
  • Muscle pain
  • Chills
  • Fever
  • Nausea

The CDC reports that in most cases, discomfort from fever or pain is normal. Contact your doctor or healthcare provider:

  • If the redness or tenderness where you got the shot increases after 24 hours
  • If your side effects are worrying you or do not seem to be going away after a few days

Side effects after your second shot may be more intense than the ones you experienced after your first shot. These side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection and should go away within a few days.

Can I stop wearing a mask once I receive a vaccine?

Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to long-awaited guidance from federal health officials.

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

  • You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
  • You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
  • If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
    • However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.