936-327-8873

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine Information for RVers

The Escapees RV Club has compiled the information on this page about the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine for the benefit of our members and all RVers. Although we have done our best to locate reliable information from publicly available sources, we cannot guarantee that it will remain accurate, as the situation is changing from day to day. For that reason, we recommend that you use the information on this page as a starting point and verify any points that are critical to you through your own follow up research. If you discover vaccine information that’s different from what’s on this page, please let us know using the form at the bottom of the page.

We also have additional information on our main Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and Escapees RV Club page. There, you will find general recommendations for how RVers can protect themselves during the pandemic, updates on precautions at the Escapees RV Parks, event updates, press releases, and links to other resources useful to RVers.

Contents:

Who gets the vaccine and when?

Because only a limited supply of the coronavirus vaccines will be available for a few months, public health agencies and governments have developed policies to prioritize access to vaccine for people who are most at risk from COVID-19. However, because this is still a relatively new disease, there is not universal agreement on the best way to ration access to the vaccine.

The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has developed recommended guidelines for prioritizing access to the vaccine. These guidelines divide the population into phases based on their relative level of risk:

Phase number Description
1A Healthcare personnel and people in long-term care facilities
1B Front-line essential workers and people aged 75 and older
1C People aged 65 and older, and others aged 16-64 with certain underlying health conditions
2 All other people aged 16 years or older

Although the federal government decides on the allocation of vaccine supplies to the states, each state decides who actually gets those doses. Thus, each state is free to either follow the CDC guidelines or change them as the state government deems appropriate. In particular, many states have elected to include at least some people who would be in Phase 1C of the CDC’s guidelines in Phase 1B instead. Within a given state, individual counties may also have some discretion on how to prioritize their vaccine allocations.

Vaccination for RVers outside their domicile state

The most frequently asked question among RVers about the coronavirus vaccine is, “can I receive the vaccine in a state if I’m a resident of a different state?”

Many states have not explicitly imposed residency requirements or required patients to show proof of residency. And at least one state, Arizona, has specifically said that residency will not be a requirement for vaccination there (see below). On the other hand, a few states like Florida, Vermont and Oklahoma have explicitly said that proof of residency is required (see details below). With the vaccine still in extremely limited supply, the states that are imposing these requirements are trying to combat “vaccine tourism”, where people travel from nearby (or sometimes distant) states specifically to obtain vaccination.

However, because many states are allowing their individual counties to control their own vaccine rollout plans, some counties may limit vaccines only to residents even when the state has no such requirement. For example, as of January 16, Clark County, Nevada was imposing a residency requirement (see details under Nevada below). These requirements are intended to preserve the limited vaccine supply allocated to each county to that county’s residents, and discourage people from neighboring counties from traveling into the county to get vaccinated.

As with many other issues affecting RVers and other visitors who are away from their domicile state, this particular concern is not yet on the radar of most state and local governments and public health agencies. The Escapees RV Club’s advocacy program is working to bring attention to the issue, but that will take time with so many different players involved. So it’s possible that some out-of-state visitors might be told, perhaps inaccurately, that they are not eligible to be vaccinated while doses are still limited in the early stages of the vaccine rollout. In addition, some pharmacies, clinics, hospitals and other vaccination sites may have temporary restrictions based on their vaccine supplies.

If you are told that you cannot receive a vaccine because of residency or other issues related to being an RVer, please let us know using the form at the bottom of this page.

How to find out when RVers can get vaccinated in a particular state

To find out when you’re eligible to be vaccinated, check the website for your state’s health department. The CDC website has a pull-down menu from which you can choose your state or territory below to find its health department’s website. Be sure to look for information from the state where you plan to get the vaccine, not your state of domicile, if it’s different.

Before traveling to a different state or county to get vaccinated, we recommend that you call ahead to be sure you can get an appointment and that you qualify under their local rules.

Where to get vaccinated

Most of the state health department websites (see the directory on the CDC website) have links to where you can get vaccinated in the state. Some of these sites also show near-real-time information on whether the vaccine is actually in stock at each site. 

You can also check VaccineFinder, a free online service, operated by epidemiologists and software developers at Boston Children’s Hospital, that compiles nationwide information on vaccination locations sourced from clinics, pharmacies, and health departments.

We recommend always calling ahead for an appointment and to check vaccine availability at a specific location.

Recommendation: get both vaccine doses in the same place

Both of the coronavirus vaccines that have received FDA approval so far require two doses to be fully effective. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires that the second dose be administered at least 21 days after the first dose, while the Moderna vaccine requires the second dose to be administered at least 28 days after the first dose. The second dose of vaccine should be from the same manufacturer as the first dose.

While the vaccines are still in short supply, Escapees recommends that once RVers receive their first dose, they remain in the same geographic area and plan to return to the same vaccination site for their second dose. (Some counties and vaccination sites are actually making appointments for and/or reserving second doses when you receive your first dose.) Doing so will help to ensure that you’re able to get your second dose of the same vaccine at the right time.

Each vaccination will be recorded in the CDC’s Vaccine Tracking System, which allows health care providers to know who got their first shot and what kind it was and when they should get their second. But as a backup, you’ll also receive a card after your first dose that tells you which vaccine you got and when you should come back for your second dose. It’s also a good idea to take a picture of the card with your phone in case you lose your card. 

Will I have to pay for the vaccination?

No. The vaccine should be free, whether or not you’re insured.

There are two costs to any vaccine: the cost of the product itself, and the cost to administer it. For the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, both of which were purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars as part of Operation Warp Speed, there will be no cost to the American people for the vaccine itself. And although vaccination providers may charge an administration fee for actually giving the shots, Congress passed legislation in the spring of 2020 requiring Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers to cover those costs under the Affordable Care Act, with additional provisions to cover uninsured patients.

Information for specific states

With so many different state and local policies in effect, and with those policies still evolving and possibly changing day to day, Escapees is unable to offer specific guidance for every state. Instead, we suggest reviewing one or both of the following guides. Both are free (no subscription required) and are updated regularly:

Where the club is aware of state-specific information regarding vaccination policies for out-of-state visitors, we will add it below along with a link to the source. However, we strongly advise that you verify the information when you make an appointment at a specific vaccine administration site.

If you learn of information about a state we don’t have listed below, or new information about a state that’s already listed, please report it using the form at the bottom of this page.

Remember to look for the state where you want to get the vaccine, not your state of domicile. For example, if you’re domiciled in Florida and hoping to get vaccinated while you’re wintering in Arizona, you need to know the vaccination policy in Arizona, not Florida.

  • Alabama Department of Public Health vaccine information hub
  • Alabama COVID 19 Vaccination Eligibility Check and Scheduling Portal
  • Out-of-state residents:
    • The Alabama DPH website does not indicate any state residency restrictions.
    • One Alabama television station reports the ADPH as saying that “At this time, the number of persons coming to Alabama for vaccine does not appear to be large. While Alabama’s priority is vaccinating its citizens, and we hope that other persons would be vaccinated in their own state of residence, Alabama is not turning persons away. The overarching goal remains to end this pandemic using widespread administration of vaccine when supply allows.”
    • An out-of-state member staying in Alabama confirms that he was able to obtain a vaccination without proof of residency.
  • California vaccine information hub
  • California’s vaccine prioritization plan generally follows the CDC recommendations but separates the Phase 1B group into two tiers, the second of which includes people aged 65-74 years regardless of underlying health conditions (these people are in Phase 1C in the CDC plan). California is also planning to include people aged 50-64 years, regardless of underlying health conditions, in their Phase 1C rather than in Phase 2.
  • Each county in California is responsible for creating its own vaccination plan, which you can find on the county’s COVID-19 website.
  • Out-of-state visitors: California’s vaccine FAQs specifically state that you do not need to be a California resident, and that “vaccine distribution is based on eligibility irrespective of residency or immigration status.” However, members have reported that some counties are requiring proof of residency in the county.
    • Los Angeles County specifically says on its vaccination appointment website that “you will need to show proof that you are an LA County resident”.
    • A member reports that Sacramento County is requiring proof of residency in the county.
    • A member reports that San Diego County collected their address, but did not require that it be within the county. However, another member reported that they were turned away from the vaccine site where they had an appointment because the address on their ID was not in the county.

Out-of-state residents: Connecticut’s Frequently Asked Questions about the COVID-19 Vaccination page explicitly states: “If you neither live or work in the State of Connecticut, you are not eligible to receive vaccine in the State of Connecticut.”

  • Florida vaccine information hub
  • Florida COVID-19 Vaccination Plan – this is a draft dated October 16, 2020 but appears to be the most recent version available. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been announcing weekly plans based on experience and available vaccine supply.
    • Unlike most other states, Florida has opted to vaccinate people aged 65 and older as part of the very first phase of vaccines, and if necessary to de-prioritize younger essential workers.
    • As of January 22, 2021, the only persons currently eligible for vaccination in Florida are:
      • Health care personnel with direct patient contact
      • Long-term care facility residents and staff
      • Persons 65 years of age and older
      • Persons deemed extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 by hospital providers
    • Each county’s local Florida Health office is responsible for its own vaccine distribution plan. To find a particular county’s plan, select the county from the drop-down list near the top of the Florida Health website home page.
      • Vaccine distribution differs from county to county. In some areas, you can schedule an appointment over the phone or by email; in others you’ll need to register online; and still others may have first-come, first-served mass vaccination sites.
  • Out-of-state residents: To combat “vaccine tourism,” primarily from Canadian snowbirds, Florida now requires proof of full-time or seasonal residency in the state.
    • Residents holding a Florida driver’s license or ID card are considered full-time residents.
    • The definition of “seasonal resident” and the proof required are both far more complicated. They come from paragraph (5)(b) of the state’s medical marijuana statute (yes, you read that correctly) and are paraphrased below.
    • To be a “seasonal resident” in Florida, you must:
      • temporarily reside in Florida for at least 31 consecutive days a year;
      • maintain a temporary residence in Florida [it’s not clear whether an RV would qualify];
      • return to your domicile state at least once a year; and
      • be registered to vote or pay income tax in another state.
    • To prove “seasonal residency”, you must show at least two of these documents showing your seasonal Florida address:
      • A deed, mortgage, monthly mortgage statement, mortgage payment booklet or residential rental or lease agreement.
      • A utility hookup or work order dated within the last 60 days.
      • A utility bill, not more than 2 months old.
      • Mail from a financial institution, not more than 2 months old.
      • Mail from a government agency, not more than 2 months old.
      • One of the above proofs of residential address from a person you reside with and a statement from that person confirming you reside with them.
    • Multiple members have reported that Florida vaccination sites are enforcing the proof of seasonal residency requirement.
  • Georgia vaccine information hub
  • Georgia COVID-19 Vaccination Plan – draft dated January 1, 2021
  • Georgia’s vaccine prioritization plan (find it on the state’s vaccine information hub) generally tracks the CDC recommendations, but as of January 11, 2021 moves adults aged 65 or over (who would be in Phase 1C of the CDC recommendations) up into a “Phase 1A+”. As of January 11, the state is administering vaccines to people in Phases 1A and 1A+.
  • Out-of-state residents:
    • Although the state’s Vaccination Plan repeatedly mentions vaccinating “Georgia residents”, nothing in the plan indicates that out-of-state visitors will be treated any differently from residents.
    • However, an out-of-state member reported that although she provided her Livingston, TX mailing address received her first dose of vaccine on March 11, the vaccination site contacted her afterwards to say that Georgia residency was required. She provided the address of the park where she was staying, and was not asked for proof.
    • Media outlets in Georgia have also reported that proof of living or working in the state is required in order to be vaccinated.
  • Illinois Department of Public Health vaccine information hub
  • Out of state residents
    • According to the IDPH’s FAQs page, “All populations in Illinois, including individuals who are undocumented, can receive the vaccine. No one will be turned away when it is their time to be vaccinated.” (However, you must still qualify for the current immunization phase based on age, occupation, etc.)
    • However, a member reports that in at least one county (Adams), specific proof of residency in the county was required.
  • Indiana vaccine information hub
  • Out-of-state residents:
    • Only Indiana residents are eligible to be vaccinated in the state. Proof of residency is required at the time of vaccination.
    • The Indy Star reports that “After previously making vaccines available to people who live or work in Indiana, the state has now limited eligibility to residents.”
  • Nevada vaccine information hub
  • Nevada’s COVID-19 Vaccination Playbook
  • Nevada’s vaccine “prioritization lanes” (summary of the “playbook”)
  • Nevada county-specific vaccine rollout plans – each county in Nevada has its own COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan based on the needs of its population and how quickly the county moves through priority populations.
  • Out-of-state residents: the state’s vaccination playbook does not specifically address snowbirds and other visitors. However, each county has its own rollout plan, and at least one county–Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas area–may be limiting vaccine access to residents only.
    • The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD)’s vaccine distribution page says that “Proof of employment as well as photo ID and proof of residency should be brought to your appointment.”
    • A SNHD spokeswoman clarified that at vaccination sites administered by the SNHD or Clark County, “[part-time] residents without a Nevada ID can provide other documentation such as a utility bill to show that they reside in the state.” However, other sites in the county reportedly are vaccinating only Nevadans with a state ID.
  • Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Information hub
  • Texas COVID-19 Vaccination Plan – this is a draft dated October 16, 2020 and identified as version “1.0” but appears to be the most recent version available.
  • Texas vaccine prioritization:
    • Texas has not published a comprehensive plan for vaccine prioritization beyond Phase 1B. Future phases are listed as “under consideration”.
    • Texas Phase 1A is essentially the same as the CDC’s recommended Phase 1A.
    • However, Phase 1B in Texas covers the CDC’s recommended Phases 1B and 1C (persons aged 65+ or aged 16+ with at least one chronic medical condition).
  • Where to get the vaccine:
    • Texas is currently making vaccinations available to groups in Phase 1A and
    • Texas COVID‑19 Vaccine Availability map shows all vaccination sites in the state along with current vaccine availability.
    • There are new mass vaccination sites (“vaccination hubs”) in more populous Texas counties, with phone numbers and links for each. Visit the registration link of a hub near you for details and to sign up for an appointment. Do not just show up at a hub; find out first if walk-ups are accepted.
  • Nothing in Texas’ vaccination plan or other announcements indicates that out-of-state visitors will be treated any differently from state residents.
    • At least one member has confirmed that they were able to get vaccinated without needing to give their address at all.

Out-of-state residents: Although there does not appear to be an official state policy against vaccinating non-residents, at least one major university medical system, WVU Medicine, states that “only West Virginia residents are eligible” at their vaccine clinic.

Have additional information to share?

Have you seen a news story online about a particular state’s vaccine policies? Have you personally experienced a problem receiving the vaccine, even though you were eligible for it? Do you have other factual coronavirus vaccine information that you think we should share with other RVers? 

If so, please share it with us using the short form below. If we can verify the  information and we agree it will be relevant to a wide audience, we’ll add it to this page.

Note: please do not submit questions about the vaccine or any other topic through this form, as we are unable to provide personal responses.