COVID-19 Vaccines and Testing

Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots

Recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters.

With the authorization of these updated boosters, the vaccines which had been used previously throughout the pandemic are no longer authorized by FDA for use as boosters.

Effective immediately, all sites across VHA will halt offering monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as boosters.

We do not have the new vaccine in stock yet, and we anticipate a gap in booster administration of about a week until the new vaccine arrives.

If you were planning to get a booster dose next week, we recommend that you wait until the updated vaccine is available. The update will provide you with better protection against COVID-19.

The original COVID-19 vaccines are still available for those who have not yet begun a COVID-19 vaccination series and are effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19.

For more information visit https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/.

Patients can schedule themselves by calling the COVID-19 Vaccine line at 813-558-3999.

How to get your booster:

• Call the COVID-19 Vaccine line at 813-558-3999 to schedule your appointment.
• Hidden River VA Clinic vaccine appointments: 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Patient walk-ins will be accepted if patient is on-site and clinic can accommodate.
• Community-based Outpatient Clinics vaccine appointments: 8:00 a.m. – noon.
  • Patient walk-ins will be accepted if patient is on-site and clinic can accommodate.

For the latest COVID-19 vaccine and testing updates, please bookmark this page.

COVID-19 Testing

The James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (JAHVH) Main Campus is the only Tampa VA site for COVID-19 testing.

Tampa VA offers COVID-19 testing to symptomatic Veteran patients enrolled in VA health care. Appointments are required. Veterans can schedule an appointment through Primary Care Providers. We are only testing symptomatic patients at this location. If you are symptomatic, please contact your primary care provider first to order a test. 

The federal government has put pause on sending free COVID-19 testing kits to Americans, effective September 2.

If you need a COVID-19 Test, the resources below are available:

• At-⁠Home Tests at Retailers and Pharmacies: At-⁠home tests are available for sale around the U.S. Check with local retailers and pharmacies to see where at-⁠home tests are available.
• Insurance Reimbursement for At-⁠Home Tests: If you have health insurance through an employer or Marketplace, your insurance will pay you back for 8 at-⁠home tests each month for each person on your plan. Learn more about insurance reimbursement (scroll to #3)
• 15,000+ Free Testing Sites: No-cost antigen and PCR COVID-⁠19 tests are available to everyone in the U.S., including the uninsured, at more than 20,000 sites nationwide. Find resources in your state