Who needs an additional COVID-19 Vaccines?
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- CDC recommends that the following groups should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine at least 5 months after completing their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series (i.e., the first 2 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine):
- Anyone older than 5 years old may receive their first booster shot
- people aged 65 years and older
- residents aged 18 years and older in long-term care settings
- people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions
- CDC also recommends that the following groups may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine at least 6 months after completing their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks:
- The CDC recommends anyone over the age of 5 receive the first booster, but they recommend those eligible receive the second booster by the fall
- people aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions
- people aged 18–64 years at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting
- These recommendations only apply to people who previously received a Pfizer-BioNTech primary series (i.e., the first 2 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine).
- People can talk to their healthcare provider about whether getting a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot is appropriate for them.
- People Eligible to Receive Their Second Booster:
- People ages 50 years and older
- People ages 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised
- People ages 18 years and older who received 2 doses of Janssen vaccine
- CDC recommends that the following groups should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine at least 5 months after completing their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series (i.e., the first 2 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine):
If I received the Moderna vaccine originally and am immunocompromised, will I need a booster shot?
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- Yes, A first booster shot is recommended 5 months after the final primary series, and a second booster shot is recommended if you are immunocompromised and/or over 50 years old and 4 months after the booster.
If I received the J&J vaccine originally and am immunocompromised, will I need a booster shot?
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- Yes, a second dose of Pfizer of Moderna is recommended at least 28 days after the initial vaccine if are immunocompromised. A first booster shot of Pfizer of Moderna is recommended 2 months after the second dose. The second booster is recommended for those eligible.
If I received the Moderna or J&J vaccine originally and am not immunocompromised, can I receive a booster shot?
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- Yes, anyone over the age of 5 years old is eligible for a first booster shot of Pfizer. Any over the age of 18 is eligible for a first booster of Moderna. A second booster shot is eligible if you are over the age of 50 and/or immunocompromised.
What are the risks of receiving an additional dose of vaccine?
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- There is currently limited information on the risks of receiving an additional dose of vaccine. the safety, efficacy, and benefit of an additional COVID-19 vaccine in those patients who are immunocompromised continues to be evaluated at this time; however, those who have received their third Pfizer or Moderna vaccine stat that the side effects are similar to those that they received after their second dose where fatigue and pain at the injection site were the most commonly reported side effects.
References:
COVID-19 vaccines for moderately to severely immunocompromised people. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html. Accessed August 26, 2021.
