Frequently Asked Questions on the COVID-19 Bivalent Booster

The bivalent boosters are available for people ages 5 and older who have received their primary series (2 doses of Moderna or Pfizer, 1 dose of J&J).

On October 12, 2022, the FDA authorized use of the updated COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 5 years old.

• The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to children ages 5 through 11 years
• The Moderna vaccine is available to children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 years
  
• For more information on eligibility, visit the CDC Stay Up to Date with Vaccines website
  

The updated (bivalent) boosters are called “bivalent” because they protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, including subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

Anyone who is eligible and has not received any primary series or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past 2 months, should get their booster. If you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past, it is recommended that you also wait for at least 3 months since your COVID-19 infection to receive the vaccine.

Yes. The CDC stated that you can “mix and match” any of the available bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for your booster dose.

Only a single booster dose is recommended at this time by the CDC.

If you are immunocompromised, it is even more important that you stay up to date with COVID-19 boosters. Visit the CDC website: CDC COVID-19 Vaccines for People Who Are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised for more details.

The best way to locate a vaccine provider near you is to go to www.vaccines.gov and search for bivalent booster availability.

Yes – and it’s encouraged!