Extra Paid Sick Leave and Other Ways to Find Time for Your COVID Vaccine

Everyone in California is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine — although with vaccine supply still not matching demand, finding a COVID-19 vaccine appointment near you can still require persistence.

But what if your challenge is finding the time to attend a vaccine appointment, because of your work or your family commitments? These tips could make accessing your vaccine more convenient:

1. Find Out if Your Employer Offers Extra Paid Time Off

In March, Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced a new law that requires many California employers to offer their employees COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL). This paid time off gives you 80 extra hours of leave — on top of any existing PTO or sick time balances you have — to be used if you find yourself unable to work because you have COVID-19, or are caring for a family member who does. But it also covers going to your own vaccine appointment, and also any sick time afterward "due to vaccine-related symptoms."

COVID-19 SPSL applies to all employers in California, public or private, with more than 25 employees, including those with collective bargaining agreements. So if you work for a small business, you might unfortunately find you're not able to access COVID-19 SPSL — but if that's you, it could still be worth talking to your employer to see what's possible.

This leave is also retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. So if you didn't know about it (or your employer didn't tell you about it), and you have already taken PTO to get your vaccine or sick time after your shot, you can now request to your employer that you claim that time back and have it covered by COVID-19 SPSL. Find out more about this coverage.

2. Caregivers: Consider a Drive-Thru Vaccine Appointment

Are you a parent or someone who cares for children or family members who's unable to secure someone to cover you as you go get your COVID-19 vaccine, and worried about the idea of standing in line with kids for a stretch of time?

If you have access to a car, you might find a drive-thru vaccine appointment more convenient for bringing family members along. You can find drive-thru appointments through the state's My Turn vaccination site — look for locations like the Oakland Coliseum and the site at Albany's Golden Gate Fields racetrack (it'll show as 'Buchanan St. Parking Lot next to Albany Bulb' on My Turn).

If you're bringing children along to your vaccination appointment, remember that drive-thru lines can get long, even if you have a scheduled appointment time, so be prepared to keep your car-mates occupied.

Children might also naturally have questions about the vaccination process (why are you getting it? Do the needles hurt? Why can't kids get vaccinated yet?) and you might like to think ahead about how you'll answer any curiosity around vaccines. Caregivers of younger children might also like to watch this video, "It's Time for Daniel's Shot," from PBS Kids' Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, in advance.

3. Find a Drop-In Vaccination Site Near You

If an unpredictable work or caregiving schedule is making it tricky for you to commit to a set COVID-19 vaccine appointment in advance, a drop-in, no-appointment-needed vaccination site near you may be your most convenient option.

Some of these drop-in sites are for people who live in certain ZIP codes, but other sites are open to anyone on a walk-in basis. Look up your county in our list, and use the links to see their vaccination sites.

Bear in mind that you might encounter unpredictable wait times at a drop-in vaccination site, if demand is high that day. If your schedule is impossible to predict in advance, you could still look up the locations and hours of the drop-in sites near you, so that you're ready to stop by if you find yourself with unexpected free time.

Still having trouble finding a COVID-19 vaccine? Send us a message.