Additional Dose and Bivalent Booster Dose FAQ

No. An additional dose is different from a booster dose.

Some people, those who are immunocompromised, may not develop the same immune response level after vaccination as others, so they made need an additional dose before their booster.

A booster dose is recommended as protection from the vaccine may wane over time.

Everyone ages 5 years and older are eligible to get a booster.

According to the CDC: CDC does not recommend mixing products for your primary series doses. If you received Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax for the first dose of your primary series, you should get the same product for all following primary series doses.

• People ages 5 years and older may only get the updated (bivalent) booster. They can no longer get an original (monovalent) booster.
• People ages 5 years and older may get a different product for their bivalent booster than they got for their primary series, as long as the bivalent booster is Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna and is authorized for their age.
• People ages 18 years and older who completed a primary COVID-19 vaccination series with any brand of vaccine may receive a monovalent Novavax booster dose at least 6 months after their primary series. This is only recommended if the person cannot or does not want to receive an mRNA vaccine, and they would not get a booster vaccine otherwise.
  

All eligible individuals are currently able to get a COVID-19 booster.

COVID-19 infections are likely to increase during the winter as more time is spent inside and there are fewer masking requirements. The virus is continuously changing, and we need to change with it. Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines is the best way to avoid hospitalization, death, and other long term health conditions caused by COVID-19 infection.

Contact your healthcare provider. Local health departments, hospitals, and pharmacies are also vaccinating. You can find a vaccine provider at www.vaccines.gov or by calling 1-800-232-0244 (TTY 888-720-7489).