COVID-19 Vaccines at UPMC

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.

If you are immunocompromised, including those who have had a solid organ transplant, are on chemotherapy, or have certain chronic illnesses:

Pfizer Was Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 18 and Older

You received two doses, three to eight weeks apart*:

• Third dose can be received four weeks or more after the second dose.
  • Third dose should be Pfizer.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose should be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax**.

Moderna Was Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 18 and Older

You received two doses, four to eight weeks apart*:

• Third dose can be received four weeks or more after the second dose.
  • Third dose should be Moderna.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose should be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax**.

Johnson & Johnson Was Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 18 and Older

The J&J vaccine is authorized when mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are not available, are not recommended, or are declined.

You received one dose:

• Second dose can be received four weeks or more after the first dose.
  • Second dose can be Pfizer or Moderna.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose should be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax**.

Novavax Was Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 18 and Older

Talk with your doctor first.

You received two doses, three weeks apart.

• Updated (bivalent) booster dose should be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax**.

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Those who received a hematopoietic cell transplant, or a CAR-T cell treatment should discuss additional doses with their doctor.

*Talk with your doctor if you have any questions.

**An acceptable alternative when mRNA bivalent boosters are not clinically appropriate, 6 months or more after primary series.

You can get one dose of the bivalent booster regardless of the number of boosters already received (none, one, or more).

Pfizer Was Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 18 and Older

You received two doses, three to eight weeks apart*:

Updated (bivalent) booster dose should be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.

• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax**.

Moderna Was Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 18 and Older*

You received two doses, four to eight weeks apart:

• Updated (bivalent) booster dose should be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax**.

Johnson & Johnson Was Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 18 and Older

The J&J vaccine is authorized when other COVID-19 vaccines are not available, are not recommended, or are declined.

You received one dose:

• Updated (bivalent) booster dose should be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax**.

Novavax Was Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 18 and Older

You received two doses, three to eight weeks apart*:

• Updated (bivalent) booster dose should be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax**.

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Talk with your doctor if you have any questions.

*Recommendation is to receive your second dose closer to eight weeks after your first dose if you are:

• Male, age 12 to 39, to lower the rare risk of heart inflammation.
• Age 65 or older, to increase your immune response to the vaccine.

Recommendation is to receive your second dose closer to three to four weeks after your first dose if:

• You are at risk for severe illness or at high risk for exposure to the virus.

**An acceptable alternative when mRNA bivalent boosters are not clinically appropriate, six months or more after primary series.

Talk with your doctor about when to get vaccinated if recently exposed or infected, if you have concerns about potential side effects, and about which vaccine is right for you.

You can get one dose of the bivalent booster regardless of the number of boosters already received (none, one, or more).

Pfizer is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 6 Months to Younger Than 5 Years

• Three doses.
• First two (2) doses are given three weeks apart.
• Third dose is given eight weeks or more after the second dose.
• If you received all 3 primary series doses, a bivalent booster is not authorized.
• If you are not vaccinated, first 2 doses are monovalent, 3rd dose is Pfizer bivalent.

Pfizer is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 5 Years to Younger Than 18 Years

• Three doses.
• First two (2) doses are given three weeks apart.
• Third dose is given four weeks or more after the second dose.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer or Moderna.

Moderna is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 6 Months to Younger Than 5 Years

• Three doses.
• First two (2) doses are given four weeks apart.
• Third dose is given four weeks or more after the second dose.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be received two months or more after primary dose
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Moderna

Moderna is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 5 Years to Younger Than 18 Years

• Three doses.
• First two (2) doses are given four weeks apart.
• Third dose is given four weeks or more after the second dose.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer or Moderna.

Novavax is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 12 Years to Younger Than 18 Years

• First two (2) doses are given three weeks apart.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer or Moderna.

You can get one dose of the bivalent booster regardless of the number of boosters already received (none, one, or more).

Pfizer is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 6 Months to Younger Than 5 Years

• Three doses.
• First two (2) doses are given three to eight weeks apart.
• Third dose is given eight weeks or more after the second dose.
• If you received all 3 primary series doses, a bivalent booster is not authorized.
• If you are not vaccinated, first 2 doses are monovalent, 3rd dose is Pfizer bivalent.

Pfizer is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 5 Years to Younger Than 18 Years

• Two doses.
• First two (2) doses are given three to eight weeks apart*.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer or Moderna.

Moderna is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 6 Months to Younger Than 5 Years

• Two doses.
• First two (2) doses are given four to eight weeks apart*.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be received two months or more after primary dose
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Moderna

Moderna is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 5 Years to Younger Than 18 Years

• Two doses.
• First two (2) doses are given four to eight weeks apart*.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer or Moderna.

Novavax is Primary Vaccine and You’re Age 12 Years to Younger Than 18 Years

• First two (2) doses are given three to eight weeks apart.
• Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be received two months or more after primary or previous booster dose.
  • Updated (bivalent) booster dose can be Pfizer or Moderna.

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*Recommendation is to receive your second dose closer to eight weeks after your first dose if you are:

• Male, age 12 to 39 years, to lower the rare risk of heart inflammation.

Recommendation is to receive your second dose closer to three to four weeks after your first dose if:

• You are at risk for severe illness or at high risk for exposure to the virus.

• Click the "Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine" button above.
• Log in as a "Registered user" using your cell phone number or email address.
• View and manage your appointments.

If you scheduled an appointment with a UPMC Children's Community Pediatrics office, please visit their website.

If you need accommodations for your preferred language, sensory processing needs, anxiety, physical disabilities, or privacy needs, we can help. Please let the greeter or another staff member know when you arrive.

Six months and older. Talk to your doctor to see which is right for you and your family.

There are two options for scheduling a child for a vaccination appointment.

If your child or patient is an existing UPMC Children's Community Pediatrics patient:

• Schedule an appointment through the UPMC Children's Community Pediatrics website or by calling the child's pediatrician's office.

If your child or patient is NOT an existing UPMC Children's Community Pediatrics patient:

• Schedule an appointment online by using the "Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine" button or calling 844-876-2822 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The FDA authorized Novavax for individuals age 12 and older. Like other available COVID-19 vaccines, the Novavax vaccine prepares your immune system to recognize and control COVID-19. The Novavax vaccine is given as the primary vaccine for individuals who are not yet vaccinated. Once you get the first vaccines with Novavax, you are then eligible for a Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster.

The vaccines are considered safe for those who are pregnant and/or breastfeeding. If you are unsure or if you plan to receive the Novovax vaccine, we encourage you to talk with your OB provider.

To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine in Spanish, call 833-660-2416 and press 1
Para llamar en español para pedir su cita de vacunación contra el COVID-19, marque 833-660-2416 y pulse la opción 1.

To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine in Nepali, call 833-660-2416 and press 2
नेपालीमा तपाईंको COVID-19 भ्याक्सिन तालिका बनाउन ८३३ ६६० २४१६ मा कल गर्नुहोस् र २ थिच्नुहोस् ।

To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine in Arabic, call 833-660-2416 and press 3
للحصول على موعد( للقاح فيروس كوفيد-19) باللغة العربية,اتصل بالرقم 2416-660-833 ومن ثم اضغط رقم

To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnamese, call 833-660-2416 and press 4
De lay hen chich thuoc ngua bang tieng Viet Nam, Xin goi so 833-660-2416 roi bam so 4

To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine in Mandarin, call 833-660-2416 and press 5
需要预约新冠状病毒疫苗中文服务请拨打833-660-2416， 再按5。

To schedule your COVID-19 vaccine in Russian, call 833-660-2416 and press 6
Регистрация на вакцинацию Ковид- 19 на русском языке, позвоните по номеру 833-660-2416 и нажмите 6

Click on the "Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine" link above and follow the directions below:

• Log in using your email address or cell phone number. You will receive a one-time verification code.
  • If you have multiple people associated with your email address or cell phone, you will need to enter the first and last name of the record you are trying to view as part of the log-in process.
• When the correct information opens, either click the UPMC logo in the top left corner or scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Back to menu" so that you will see the "Download CDC Card" option.
  • When you select this option, an image of the vaccine card you need will load, and you will be able to save and print your duplicate vaccine information.