Vaccination

We offer a variety of vaccines for adult and pediatric patients, including against COVID.

Our Pharmacists and Nurse are all certified to administer vaccines with the same comfort and convenience you’d find at your care provider’s clinic.

Currently, vaccinations are being done by appointment only and are available for patients ages 3+ years old for the COVID and flu vaccines and 13+ years old for all other vaccines. Visit our homepage to read about our business practices as they pertain to the COVID pandemic and preventing the spread of respiratory illnesses.

Our ability to vaccinate is in jeopardy

HF1197 | SF 1176
Maintain pharmacy administered vaccine & testing authorities

The Federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act expires on December 31st, 2024, and, with it, some of our vaccination scope of practice. Help us make sure that the MN Legislature codifies these COVID-era changes so that vaccination remains as accessible as possible in our state!

Click here to read more about this bill on our State (MN) Initiatives page and here to contact your legislator NOW about supporting this bill!

Vaccine-specific updates

Sometimes there are important things we want you to know about specific vaccines, especially when vaccination gets busy and appointment demand increases (usually during the fall/winter when respiratory illness—such as COVID, flu, and RSV—is at it’s highest). Appointments for both of these vaccines are in high demand and subject to the vaccine stock we have available; therefore, if you don’t see availability on our Appointments page for the vaccine and dates/times you’re interested in, this is intentional. Due to regular fluctuations in our vaccine stock and availability of personnel to assist with vaccination, we are currently releasing appointments as we are able. Any verbiage referring to appointments not being available for many months can be disregarded.

If you’d like to be notified when more appointments for high-demand vaccines are released, please subscribe to our news bulletin the DOSE.

COVID

As of March 1st, 2024, adults 65+ years old are now recommended by the CDC to receive a second dose of the 2023 formulation of whichever COVID vaccine they prefer, but must be at least 4 months from their last dose. Moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals continue to be welcome to receive additional COVID doses according to CDC guidelines, but must be at least 2 months from their last dose.

We are currently offering the updated 2023 monovalent versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccines and Novavax (non-mRNA) vaccine at our pharmacy to both adult and pediatric patients. Please note that we are only offering the Moderna pediatric COVID vaccine at this time.

All of these vaccines are considered interchangeable by the CDC based on data supporting their safety and efficacy. If you want to learn more about the difference between these vaccines, we recommend checking out this article.

Flu

As of November 2nd, 2023, high dose flu vaccine is back in stock! We will continue to notify individuals via the DOSE if stocking issues continue.

Additionally, some articles recently released by major news outlets have discussed a connection between stroke and the flu and COVID vaccines, most especially in those who are 85+ years old and receive the high dose flu and COVID shots together. It’s important to note that the data cited in these articles is based on observational studies that cannot determine cause and effect between receiving these vaccines and the incidence of stroke, and so requires much further investigation before determining that vaccination recommendations need to be changed. Additionally, the association cited happened in a very small number of cases overall, and must be considered alongside the risk of stroke (and other complications) from the illnesses that these vaccines protect against. For these reasons, at this time, the CDC and ACIP are NOT recommending that individuals over 65 years old avoid receiving the high dose flu vaccine, which is shown to be significantly more effective at protecting older patients against flu regardless of their health status. However, we are more than happy to separate your COVID and flu vaccination appointments, or give you the regular dose flu shot, if you prefer.

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)

This is a new vaccine that was recently approved for use and is recommended in all persons 60+ years old (especially if you have certain health conditions that make you at high risk of severe illness from RSV and/or spend time around young children) and all pregnant people 32 - 36 weeks gestation.

As of October 31st, 2023, we are currently one of the only known providers of this vaccine for pregnant people in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas, as far as Rochester, MN (possibly even beyond). It appears that most health systems and clinics weren’t prepared to receive and administer this vaccine when it first became approved, and we’re hearing from pregnant folks that they’ve struggled finding it. If you know someone who is pregnant and in need of this vaccine, please send them our way! If you or they have trouble booking an appointment online, give us a call or send us message here; we can make sure that you or they receive this vaccine in the appropriate window, which is just one month long.

May 2022 | In order to highlight the value of independent pharmacies and encourage Minnesotans to get boosted, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz receives his COVID booster at St. Paul Corner Drug

Our vaccines

  • COVID | Updated 2023 version

    • Moderna (mRNA) for persons 3+ years old (children 3 - 11 years old receive a half-dose of the adult product, now called “Spikevax”)

    • Novavax (protein-based) for persons 12+ years old

      • This is an “adjuvanted” vaccine (i.e., designed to elicit a stronger immune response) and therefore likely to cause flu-like side effects. We do give it alongside other vaccines such as the flu shot, but this will make these kinds of side effects more likely.

    • Pfizer-BioNTech (mRNA) for persons 12+ years old (now called “Comirnaty”)

  • Flu (Influenza)

    • Regular dose for persons 3+ years old

    • High dose available for persons 65+ years old

      • This is an “adjuvanted” vaccine (i.e., designed to elicit a stronger immune response) and therefore more likely to cause flu-like side effects. We do give it alongside other vaccines such as COVID, but this will make these kinds of side effects more likely.

  • Hepatitis

  • HPV (Human Papillomavirus) | Brand name: Gardasil® 9

  • Meningitis

    • MenACWY (Meningococcal ACWY) | Brand name: Menactra®

    • MenB (Serogroup B Meningococcal) | Brand name: BEXSERO

  • Pneumonia (Pneumococcal Conjugate) | Brand name: Prevnar 20™

  • RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) | Brand names: Arexvy (for adults 60+ years old) & Abrysvo (for pregnant people at 32 - 36 weeks’ gestation)

    • note: This is an “adjuvanted” vaccine (i.e., designed to elicit a stronger immune response) and therefore likely to cause flu-like side effects. For this reason, it is NOT recommended to receive this vaccine alongside others. We also recommend scheduling this vaccine on a day when you don’t have something important going on the following day.

    • Click here to read more about RSV vaccination for older adults

  • Shingles (Herpes Zoster) | Brand name: SHINGRIX

    • note: This is an “adjuvanted” vaccine (i.e., designed to elicit a stronger immune response) and therefore likely to cause flu-like side effects. For this reason, it is NOT recommended to receive this vaccine alongside others. We also recommend scheduling this vaccine on a day when you don’t have something important going on the following day.

  • Tetanus

    • Td (Tetanus & Diphtheria) | Brand name: TDVAX™

    • Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria & Pertussis / “Whooping Cough”) | Brand name: BOOSTRIX

      • note: This is the only type of Tetanus shot covered by Medicare, since it also protects young children and vulnerable adults from pertussis (“whooping cough”)

  • Typhoid (oral) | Brand name: Vivotif®

For more information about vaccination recommendations, schedules and ingredients, visit immunize.org.

Do you need your vaccine to
come to you?

Some of our clinical staff offer private vaccination in patients’ homes! This is a great option for patients with health or mobility issues that prevent them from coming to our store in person to receive their vaccination. Interested? Give us a call at (651) 698-8859 or send us a message here.

Pricing

$75 per patient per visit + $1/mile (one-way) for distances greater than 10 miles from our store. This home visit fee is in addition to any copay owed based on your insurance plan.

note: This service is subject to availability of vaccine stock and vaccination personnel.

Eligibility

At St. Paul Corner Drug, we’re able to vaccinate individuals who are:

  • 3+ years old for COVID and Flu

  • 13+ years old for all other vaccines (subject to specific age requirements for each individual vaccine; see each vaccine’s Vaccine Information Sheet (VIS) for more information)

Pricing

In general, the best way to determine whether a vaccine will be covered at our pharmacy is to call your insurance company directly. Please note that certain insurance plans do NOT cover the cost of vaccination administration at local pharmacies; these plans will cover the cost of the vaccine itself but do not include an administration fee that is supposed to cover the cost of the time and training of vaccinators and the supplies we use. If your insurance is able to be billed at our pharmacy but doesn't cover the cost of vaccine administration, we charge an additional administration fee of $35 per patient per visit, which can be paid using cash, a credit or debit card, or check.

  • At this time, the cost of the COVID vaccine is no longer being subsidized by the US government, but is guaranteed to be 100% covered by Medicare and expected to be 100% by most commercial insurance plans. However, if you have an insurance plan that isn’t accepted at our pharmacy, we won’t be able to bill your COVID vaccine (see information below about paying out-of-pocket for your vaccine).

  • Flu vaccination is 100% covered by most insurance plans. For those not using insurance, cash prices for the flu shot are as follows:

    • Regular dose (3+ years old) | $45

    • High dose (65+ years old) | $105

  • Co-pays for the rest of the vaccinations we offer varies by insurance. To determine what a specific vaccine would cost for you to receive at St. Paul Corner Drug, please call your insurance company directly.

  • All patients are welcome to pay the cash price (raw cost of the vaccine + $35 administration fee) for any vaccine that is appropriate for them to receive. However, the cost of vaccines is often high compared to filling most prescriptions, so if you’re interested in paying cash to receive a vaccine give us a call or send us a message to discuss pricing before booking an appointment.

Booking your appointment

Currently, we are administering vaccinations by appointment only. We usually offer appointments Monday - Friday, 9:30am - 12:30pm and 2:30 - 7:00pm for all of our vaccines, though any deviation from this will be taken into account in Acuity, our online booking system. If you don’t see availability for the vaccine and dates/times you’re interested in, this is intentional. Due to regular fluctuations in our vaccine stock and availability of personnel to assist with vaccination, we are currently releasing appointments as we are able. Please check back frequently and refrain from calling the pharmacy to ask about availability unless you need assistance with booking an appointment.

If you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, you can do so by clicking on the green “Change/Cancel Appointment” button toward the bottom of the confirmation or reminder emails you receive upon booking/shortly before your scheduled appointment. If you no longer have access to these emails, give us a call at (651) 698-8859 or send us a message here.

Preparing for your appointment

  • Important things to bring:

  • Current insurance card(s)

  • Completed consent form (if able)

    • Click here to access our fillable PDF consent forms. To complete a consent form, start by downloading the form to your device (DO NOT open and edit in Google Docs, this alters the document’s formatting). Once downloaded, open the file and enter your information in the fillable fields as directed. When you’ve completed the form, save it as a new document on your device and then print and bring it with you to your appointment or email to pharmacy@stpaulcornerdrug.com (subject: Vax Consent Form).

  • You are no longer required to bring and update your CDC Vaccination Record Card when receiving a COVID shot. Instead, we’ll confirm the dates of your previous doses (if any) via Docket or MIIC. If you received any previous doses of the COVID vaccine outside the state of Minnesota and these have not yet been added to your MIIC record, please bring a record of these doses and we can manually add them so that your MIIC record is complete.

  • If you’re experiencing COVID symptoms when it’s time for your appointment, please test BEFORE coming in. We wouldn’t want to vaccinate you for an infection that you currently have.

  • We love accommodating those who require a support person to accompany them to their vaccination appointment! But, our space is small, so if you're ok coming alone, we ask that you do.

  • We're happy to vaccinate you in your vehicle, our private consult room, on the floor (for fainters)... If any of these options would make a more comfortable vaccination experience for you, let us know!

  • Wear a t-shirt or tank under any warmer layers to allow us easy access to your upper arm. Please note that ALL vaccinations are administered in patients’ deltoid muscle in their upper arm (we’re not allowed to give vaccinations in children’s thigh muscle).

  • We have a private consult room that can be used to vaccinate individuals who desire privacy; however, most patients are vaccinated in our open bay of chairs in the front of our store. If your vaccination requires a wait time, we’ll ask you to complete that wait time in our public vaccination chairs or while you browse our store, even if you’re vaccinated in our private consult room.

  • Please note that, despite what is listed in their description on our Appointments page, ALL vaccination appointments are actually 15 - 20 minutes long so that we have enough time to bill your vaccination to insurance (if applicable), answer any questions you have, prepare and administer the vaccine, and provide any necessary patient education. Shingles vaccination appointments (or any appointment in which you are receiving multiple vaccines or a vaccination for the first time) are 30 minutes long.

  • Vaccines requiring a wait time (15 minutes for most individuals, 30 minutes for patients with a history of severe allergic reaction):

    • Any vaccine you are receiving for the first time

    • RSV

    • Shingles (both doses)

  • If booking a Shingles or RSV vaccine appointment, make sure you don’t have anything important going on the next day (e.g., a flight or wedding to attend). These vaccines are “adjuvanted” and commonly causes flu-like symptoms (usually stronger after the second of the two doses required for the Shingles vaccine). For this reason, we DO NOT administer the Shingles or RSV shots alongside other vaccines.

Travel

Planning on traveling outside the United States? Before jetting off, make sure you are up to date on your routine vaccinations. Depending on where you’re traveling, you may also need to get certain vaccinations. Any additional immunizations you need for your trip should be administered at least 4 to 6 weeks before you travel; this will give the vaccines time to start working and help ensure you are fully protected while you’re away. Please visit the CDC's website on Travelers Health for more information and give us a call or send us a message if you have any questions.

Docket

Docket is the free third-party app that the Minnesota Department of Health uses so that patient’s can access their official MIIC (Minnesota’s immunization record system) record on their smartphone. We strongly encourage all patients who’ve received vaccinations in our state to download and use this app to keep track of your vaccinations. Docket is also considered an official nationally-recognized record of your COVID vaccine doses that can be used if proof of vaccination is required when traveling domestically.

Click here to download the app! If you have issues enrolling, visit us in person or give us a call at (651) 698-8859. Problems with enrollment are usually from a discrepancy in the information you’re using to enroll and what’s currently on your MIIC record, which we can help update.