On September 1, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)’s recommendation that people ages 12 and older receive an updated COVID-19 booster for broader protection before a possible surge in COVID-19 illnesses later this fall and winter. Updated COVID-19 boosters can both help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination, and provide broader protection against newer variants. They target the most recent Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, that are more transmissible and more likely to be able to evade antibodies made against earlier subvariants.
Who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine booster?
The following groups are eligible for a second booster dose:
- The Pfizer-BioNTech updated COVID-19 booster is recommended for adolescents and adults ages 12 years and older, and the Moderna updated COVID-19 booster for adults ages 18 years and older.
- Everyone who is eligible—including those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised— are recommended to receive 1 dose of the updated vaccine.
- People are eligible to receive updated boosters at least 2 months since their last COVID-19 dose (either the final primary series dose or the last booster).
- Studies conducted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate that it is safe to receive both a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine at the same visit.
CDC has long recommended that everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination, including receiving all primary series and booster doses. You are up to date if you have completed a primary series and received the most recent booster dose recommended for you by CDC.
COVID-19 vaccines are effective. The COVID-19 vaccines continue to reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, including against the Omicron variant and subvariants. COVID-19 vaccines have undergone and continue to undergo the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history.
At this time, updated COVID-19 boosters are not recommended for younger age groups. When FDA authorizes these vaccines and age groups, CDC will expand its recommendations accordingly.
For more information about who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine booster, click here.
COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit
This toolkit was designed to help you decrease vaccine hesitancy and increate vaccination rates in your community.
This project was funded in part by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (grant number NU50CK000580). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this resource center do not necessarily represent the policy of CDC or HHS and should not be considered an endorsement by the Federal Government.
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