How to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine in Alaska

Harvey Watson mans the COVID-19 vaccine entrance at the Anchorage School District Education Center for Alaskans who made appointments to receive their second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 11. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

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Thousands of Alaskans have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine so far since the state’s rollout started in December.

Still, for many Alaskans, the process has been complicated and confusing. Now that anyone 12 or older who works or lives in Alaska is eligible to receive the vaccine, we’ve compiled some resources to help you sign up for an appointment. Openings remain widely available across the state, and many clinics are also accepting walk-ins.

To get started, click here to visit the state’s vaccine appointment website.

Only Pfizer’s vaccine has been approved for youths between the ages of 12 and 17. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been approved only for those 18 and older.

How do I sign up for a shot? And what do I do if there appear to be no open appointments?

There are a number of ways you can go about signing up for a vaccine appointment.

State officials say the best place to start is by visiting covidvax.alaska.gov or calling 907-646-3322 to receive help signing up for a shot.

A quick visit to anchoragecovidvaccine.org will show some of the vaccine appointments currently open statewide.

However, only about half of Alaska vaccine distributors use the state scheduling program, so that list will not show every open appointment in the state.

You can also visit anchoragecovidvaccine.org/providers to see the full list of providers offering vaccine statewide. In some cases, you’ll need to reach out to local providers directly to check whether they have appointments available and sign up.

Alaska also receives vaccine from a federal partnership with local pharmacies on top of the state allocation. Those shots will be available directly through Walmart, Walgreens and Fred Meyer. You can now visit the websites for Fred Meyer, Walgreens or Walmart to sign up through your local store.

Because allocation numbers are population-based, state officials are discouraging Alaskans from signing up for appointments outside of the community or city they live in.

How do I schedule my second appointment?

Because providers get the exact same number of second doses as first doses, second-dose appointments should be made directly with the clinic or provider that administered your first dose, health officials say. Don’t use the state scheduling site to make your second vaccine appointment.

Do you need proof of eligibility to get a shot?

No. The current system is trust-based, and no doctor’s note or other proof of eligibility is being required.

Vaccine appointment availability at a glance in Anchorage (does not show all appointments available):

(Above: Vaccine appointment portal created by the Anchorage i-team. See full site here.)