COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots
- Provision Consulting Group
- Jan 11, 2022
- 3 min read
Choosing Your COVID-19 Booster Shot
Three COVID-19 vaccines are authorized or approved for use in the United States to prevent COVID-19. Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (COVID-19 mRNA vaccines) are preferred. You may get Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in some situations.
Who Can Get a Booster Shot
IF YOU RECEIVED Pfizer-BioNTech
Who should get a booster:
Everyone 12 years and older
When to get a booster:
At least 5 months after completing your primary COVID-19 vaccination series
Which booster can you get:
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) are preferred in most* situations
Teens 12–17 years old may only get a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster
IF YOU RECEIVED Moderna
Who should get a booster:
Adults 18 years and older
When to get a booster:
At least 5 months after completing your primary COVID-19 vaccination series
Which booster can you get:
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) are preferred in most* situations
IF YOU RECEIVED Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen
Who should get a booster :
Adults 18 years and older
When to get a booster :
At least 2 months after receiving your J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccination
Which booster can you get :
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) are preferred in most* situations
*Although mRNA vaccines are preferred, J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine may be considered in some situations.
Scheduling Your Booster Shot
If you need help scheduling your booster shot, contact the location that set up your previous appointment. If you need to get your booster shot in a location different from where you received your previous shot, there are several ways you can find a vaccine provider.
If You Were Vaccinated Outside of the United States
If you completed a Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine primary series outside of the United States you should follow the guidance above for booster shots.
Otherwise, if you were vaccinated abroad with other COVID-19 vaccines you can get a booster shot if you are 16 years or older and you either:
Received all the recommended doses of a World Health Organization emergency use listing (WHO-EUL) COVID-19 vaccineexternal icon, not approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Or completed a mix and match series composed of any combination of FDA-approved, FDA-authorized, or WHO-EUL COVID-19 vaccines
If you meet the above requirements you can get a single booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after getting all recommended doses or completing a mix and match COVID-19 vaccine series.
Data Supporting Need for a Booster Shot
Studies show after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, protection against the virus and the ability to prevent infection with variants may decrease over time and due to changes in variants.
Although COVID-19 vaccines remain effective in preventing severe disease, recent data pdf icon[1 MB, 68 pages] suggest their effectiveness at preventing infection or severe illness wanes over time, especially in people ages 65 years and older.
The recent emergence of the Omicron variant further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19.
Data from clinical trials showed that a booster shot increased the immune response in trial participants who finished a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna primary series 6 months earlier or who received a J&J/Janssen single-dose vaccine 2 months earlier. With an increased immune response, people should have improved protection against getting infected with COVID-19. For Pfizer-BioNTech and J&J/Janssen, clinical trials also showed that a booster shot helped prevent severe disease.
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