Everyone Ages 16 and Older Can Get a Booster Shot
The following information is re-printed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
IF YOU RECEIVED
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna
You should get a booster if you are:
- Adult ages 18 years and older
You may get a booster if you are:
- Teens 16-17 years old (Pfizer only)
When to get a booster:
At least 6 months after completing your primary COVID-19 vaccination series
Which booster should you get?
Any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States
IF YOU RECEIVED
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen
You should get a booster if you are:
When to get a booster:
At least 2 months after your shot.
Which booster should you get?
Any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States can be used for the booster dose.
Choosing Your COVID-19 Booster Shot
If you are 18 years or older you may choose which COVID-19 vaccine you receive as a booster shot. Some people may prefer the vaccine type that they originally received, and others may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.
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.
What to Expect during and after Your Booster Shot Appointment
- Bring your CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record card to your booster shot appointment so your provider can fill in the information about your booster dose. If you did not receive a card at your first appointment, contact the vaccination site where you got your first shot or your state health department to find out how you can get a card.
- You may experience side effects after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. These are normal signs that your body is building protection against COVID-19.
- Use v-safe to tell CDC about any side effects. If you enter your booster shot in your v-safe account, the system will send you daily health check-ins.
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.
Although COVID-19 vaccination remains effective in preventing severe disease, recent data pdf icon[1 MB, 68 pages] suggest vaccination becomes less effective over time, especially in people aged 65 years and older and at preventing infection or milder illness with symptoms.
- The recent emergence of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19. Early data from South Africa suggest increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant and the potential for immune evasion.
- Recent evidence also shows that among healthcare and other frontline workers, vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 infection is also decreasing over time.
- This lower effectiveness is likely due to the combination of decreasing protection as time passes since getting vaccinated, as well as the greater infectiousness of the Delta variant.
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, including the Delta variant. For Pfizer-BioNTech and J&J/Janssen, clinical trials also showed that a booster shot helped prevent COVID-19 with symptoms.
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