Who is eligible for covid booster

CDC recommends everyone ages 5 years and older receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster after completing their primary COVID-19 vaccination series. Some people should receive two boosters.

1st booster

• Everyone age 5 and older should get a booster after they have had their primary vaccine series:
  • Recommendations for booster dose(s) vary based on age, COVID-19 vaccine, and whether you have certain medical conditions
  • Use this CDC tool to determine when or if you (or your child) can get one or more COVID-19 boosters — Find out when you can get your booster

2nd booster

• Anyone age 50 and older should get a 2nd booster 
• Anyone age 12 and older with certain medical conditions should get a 2nd booster 
  • Recommendations for booster dose(s) vary based on age, COVID-19 vaccine, and whether you have certain medical conditions
  • Use this CDC tool to determine when or if you (or your child) can get one or more COVID-19 boosters — Find out when you can get your booster

Three COVID-19 vaccines are authorized or approved for use in the United States to prevent COVID-19. You can mix and match vaccines. Your booster does not need to be the same vaccine brand as your original COVID-19 vaccination. Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (COVID-19 mRNA vaccines) are preferred. You may get Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in some situations.

Can I mix and match my booster dose?

Yes. Three COVID-19 vaccines are authorized or approved for use in the United States to prevent COVID-19. You can mix and match vaccines for your booster dose. Your booster does not need to be the same vaccine brand as your original COVID-19 vaccination. Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (COVID-19 mRNA vaccines) are preferred. You may get Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in some situations. The Administration recommends that residents with questions about which booster is right for them should ask their health care provider for advice.

Do I need to be a Massachusetts resident to get a booster? What if I lived somewhere else when I got my initial COVID-19 vaccine doses?

You can get a booster in Massachusetts if you live, work or study here.

What if I don’t know when I received my last COVID-19 vaccine shot?

To learn when you are eligible for a booster dose, you should consult your CDC vaccination record card for the date of your second COVID-19 vaccination. If you do not have your vaccination card, contact your primary care provider or the retail pharmacy where you were first vaccinated. If that is not possible, learn how to obtain your vaccination record, which could take up to 2 weeks, by visiting www.mass.gov/myvaxrecord.

How can I find out which vaccine I received?

If you do not have your vaccination card, contact your primary care provider or the retail pharmacy where you were first vaccinated. If that is not possible, learn how to obtain your vaccination record, which could take up to 2 weeks, by visiting www.mass.gov/myvaxrecord.

If I have already had COVID, should I still get a booster? 

Yes. Getting a COVID-19 booster gives most people a high level of protection against COVID-19 even in people who have already been sick with COVID-19.

After having COVID, how long do I need to wait to get a booster?

You should wait until your 10-day period of isolation is over and any symptoms have improved.  This to ensure that you don’t spread COVID-19 to others.

Should I still get a booster if I received a monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID? How long do I need to wait to get a booster after treatment?

Yes. Per CDC, individuals who received monoclonal antibodies for treatment of COVID-19 should get a booster when eligible and do not need to wait to receive a COVID-19 booster.

If you don't meet these criteria, you may still be able to get a booster shot via a doctor-prescribed dose.

Because both vaccines are fully approved by the FDA, your doctor can choose to prescribe another dose of either of these vaccines as a booster, based on his or her best judgment for off-label prescribing.

In addition, the FDA and CDC have also authorized the use of heterologous (or “mix and match”) booster doses for people who 18 years of age or older, meaning adults can receive a booster of either Pfizer or Moderna.

In the meantime, we know that COVID-19 cannot spread effectively in a fully vaccinated population that’s taking the appropriate safety measures.

Which is why the most important things we can do as a community to fight COVID-19 are to:

• Get everyone vaccinated and boosted
• Wear masks while around other people, especially in indoor public spaces
• Avoid crowds and indoor gatherings during times of high community transmission

Q: Is it important for your booster to match the original vaccine you received? Or can you mix and match?

Dr. Sostman: In addition to authorizing boosters for all three currently approved vaccines, the FDA and CDC also authorized the use of heterologous (or “mix and match”) booster doses for people over the age of 18.

Essentially, you are eligible to choose which vaccine you receive as a booster dose based on what’s made available to you.

For those currently eligible for boosters, the known and potential benefits of receiving a different vaccine as a booster dose outweigh the known and potential risks of mixing and matching.

Q: Could getting an additional dose of vaccine cause any harm?

Dr. Sostman: The CDC studied what happened when certain people were given an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The symptoms reported were consistent with previous doses and the intensity of the symptoms was mostly mild or moderate. If anything, the reactions to the additional dose were a little bit milder.

Next Steps:

If you're eligible, the NHS will usually invite you to get your additional primary dose or booster.

You may get a letter advising that you may be eligible and to discuss this with your doctor.

Your doctor will discuss with you how you can get your vaccine.

You'll usually get vaccinated at your local hospital or a local NHS service such as a GP surgery.

If you think you're eligible for an additional primary dose or a spring booster but have not been contacted, you can book a vaccination or find a walk-in site near you.

If you or your child are aged 5 or over, you can book your additional primary dose or booster appointments online.

If you think you’re eligible for an additional primary dose or booster but you do not have a suitable letter, prescription or medicine box, you may still be able to get your vaccination.

If you or your child are aged 5 or over, you can go to some walk-in vaccination sites to get your 3rd dose without needing an appointment.

If you think you’re eligible for an additional primary dose or booster but you do not have a suitable letter, prescription or medicine box, you may still be able to get your vaccination.

If you have not had a booster dose yet, you're still eligible and can book anytime.

If you've had a positive COVID-19 test, you need to wait before getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

People aged 18 and over, and young people aged 12 to 15 at high risk from COVID-19, need to wait 4 weeks.

Young people aged 16 and 17 who are not at high risk from COVID-19 need to wait for 12 weeks.

If you or your child have symptoms of COVID-19, but have not had a test, you should wait until your symptoms are better before you get the vaccine. You can talk to a healthcare professional at the vaccination site about this.

Important update: Healthcare facilities

CDC has updated select ways to operate healthcare systems effectively in response to COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more

COVID-19 Vaccines for People who are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised

• If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system), you are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness and death. Additionally, your immune response to COVID-19 vaccination may not be as strong as in people who are not immunocompromised.
• As with vaccines for other diseases, you are protected best when you stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines as described below.
• Use CDC’s COVID-19 booster tool to learn if and when you can get boosters to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines.
• You may also be eligible for Evusheld, a medicine given by your healthcare provider to help prevent you from getting COVID-19.
• You can self-attest to your moderately or severely immunocompromised status. This means that you do not need any documentation of your status in order to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses wherever they are offered.

At least 3 months after 3rd dose [ 1 ]

At least 4 months after 4th dose [ 1 ]

Up to Date: Immediately after 5th dose [ 2 ]

At least 3 months after 3rd dose [ 1 ]

At least 4 months after 4th dose [ 1 ]

Up to Date: Immediately after 5th dose [ 2 ]

Up to Date: 2 weeks after 3rd dose in primary series, since boosters are not recommended at this time for any pre-teens or teens who have completed the Moderna COVID-19 primary series

At least 2 months after 2nd dose [ 1 ]

At least 4 months after 3rd dose [ 1 ]

Up to Date: Immediately after 4th dose [ 2 ]

Up to Date: 2 weeks after the 2nd dose in primary series, since boosters are not recommended at this time for anyone who has completed the Novavax COVID-19 primary series

At least 3 months after 3rd dose [ 1 ]

Up to Date: Immediately after 4th dose [ 2 ]

Up to Date: 2 weeks after 3rd dose in primary series, since a booster is not recommended for this age group at this time

Up to Date: 2 weeks after 3rd dose in primary series, since boosters are not recommended at this time for any children who have completed the Moderna COVID-19 primary series

1 For the 1st booster, an mRNA vaccine booster is recommended; however, you may consider J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in some situations. However, J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine cannot be used as a 2nd booster dose.

2 If you have completed your primary series—but are not yet eligible for a booster—you are also considered up to date.

To find COVID-19 vaccine locations near you: Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233.

People are considered to be moderately or severely immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system) due to several types of conditions and treatments. Examples include:

• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
• Received chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy (a treatment to help your immune system attach to and kill cancer cells) or received a stem cell transplant (within the last 2 years)
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress their immune response

Talk to your healthcare provider about COVID-19 vaccination and your medical condition.

If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised or severely allergic to COVID-19 vaccines, you may be eligible for Evusheld, a medicine given by your healthcare provider to help prevent you from getting COVID-19. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if this option is right for you.

People Who Were Vaccinated Outside of the United States

People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and who received COVID-19 vaccines not available in the United States should either complete or restart the recommended COVID-19 vaccine series, including a booster, in the United States. For more information, talk to your healthcare provider, or see the COVID-19 Interim Clinical Considerations.

No, vaccines used for the primary vaccination series should be the same product or brand. However, if the mRNA vaccine product given for the first two doses is not available or is unknown, either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) may be administered.

A third primary dose may prevent serious and possibly life-threatening COVID-19 in people who may not have responded to their two-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccine primary series. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised who have low or no protection after two doses of mRNA vaccines may have an improved immune response after a third primary dose of the same vaccine.

The safety, effectiveness, and benefit of the third primary dose in people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised continues to be evaluated. So far, reactions reported after the third primary dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine are similar to those of the two-dose primary series. Fatigue and pain at the injection site were the most commonly reported side effects—and overall, most symptoms were mild and temporary.

As with the two-dose primary series, serious side effects are rare, but may occur.

For people who are immunocompromised, the third primary dose is the final dose of the primary series of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Boosters are shots that enhance or restore protection against COVID-19, which may have decreased over time.

If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised, being up to date means you have received all doses in the primary series—plus 2 boosters.

You are also considered up to date if

• You have completed your primary series but are not yet eligible for a booster
• You have received 1 booster but are not yet eligible for a 2nd booster

People can self-attest to their moderately or severely immunocompromised status. This means that they do not need any documentation of their status in order to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses wherever they are offered.