When can I get a Covid booster after having Covid?

A person is current on his or her COVID-19 vaccines if they have received all recommended doses for the primary series, and all boosters if they are eligible. CDC recommends everyone age 5 or older get the COVID-19 primary series and receive boosters when eligible. CDC’s recommendations allow the mixing and matching of different COVID-19 booster doses, and eligible individuals can choose which vaccines they get as their boosters.

FDA has authorized, and CDC has recommended, those with certain health conditions that suppress the immune system to get a third dose of the same brand of COVID-19 vaccine that they received originally.

The CDC recommends that those with certain health conditions receive the third dose of a two-shot (Pfizer and Moderna) vaccine, which may help to further protect them against severe illness or death due to COVID-19. FDA has authorized the bivalent formulations of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to be used as single-shot boosters for up to two months after completion of the primary or booster shots.

You can also get a second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine if you are 12 years or older with certain types of immune compromise, at least 4 months after receiving your first booster dose of any licensed or approved COVID-19 vaccine. If you are age 18 years of age or older, you have received a dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and you are at least 2 months older, you should get a single booster dose.

Officials are permitting the mixing and matching of booster shots for COVID-19 vaccines, meaning that anyone eligible to receive a booster can receive one from any of three vaccines that are currently licensed or approved (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson), no matter which vaccines were given in the main series.

Is it safe for adults and children to receive a new COVID-19 booster?

The good news is that, yes, it is safe for adults and children ages 12 or older who are eligible to receive a new COVID-19 booster shot to receive those vaccines at the same time. While it is recommended that everyone between 6 months of age and older receive both COVID-19 and flu shots, some populations are at higher risk of serious infections, like pregnant women, and they should take extra care in getting the shots.

Vaccination also safeguards the health of those around you – particularly those who are at increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. Vaccination against both influenza and COVID-19 is your best protection against both. Although the COVID-19 vaccines are still highly effective in preventing serious illnesses, recent data suggests that their efficacy at preventing infections or serious diseases is declining over time, particularly among those aged 65 years or older.

A COVID vaccine booster is an additional dose of vaccine given after protection provided by the initial shot(s) has begun to decline over time. People who are moderate to severely immunocompromised (for example, because of treatment of cancer, infection with HIV, medical treatments, or medical conditions such as diGeorge syndrome) have specific recommendations about primary series and COVID-19 booster shots.

You also need to get a single dose of the COVID-19 booster (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Janssen) at least 3 months after you finish the third mRNA dose of the vaccine.

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