Now, mRNA bivalent booster doses are available for individuals who are age 6 months and older. In October, the FDA authorized Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for use as a booster dose in younger age groups.
You qualify to receive the bivalent vaccine if you received the first COVID-19 vaccination series even if you:
- Already received one or more booster shots. You should wait at least two months after your most recent COVID vaccine before getting the bivalent booster dose.
- Are vaccinated and recently had COVID-19. You can get the new booster as soon as you feel well enough. But the CDC suggests waiting three months after COVID-19 to get your next shot.
Unless you are age 6 months to 5 years, when receiving the updated bivalent booster, it does not need to be from the same manufacturer as your primary vaccine or booster.
For instance, if your first series was Novavax, Janssen, Moderna, or Pfizer, you can get a Moderna or Pfizer bivalent booster. Under current federal guidance, no one is currently eligible for more than one bivalent booster.
If you’re currently unvaccinated but would like to be, schedule a COVID-19 vaccine now. Your first COVID-19 vaccine will be a standard monovalent vaccine. After that, you can receive a Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster.
The new bivalent vaccine booster recommendation also replaces the prior schedules for immunocompromised and non-immunocompromised people. Depending on a person’s eligibility criteria, that schedule may have included multiple monovalent booster doses.
UPMC recommends COVID-19 vaccination for everyone age 6 months and older and boosters for all who qualify. The vaccine has consistently shown to reduce the risks of serious complications of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death.