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Did you already get your initial dose(s) of the COVID-19 vaccine?
Go get your shot ASAP if you’re 12 or older. Unvaccinated people have a much higher risk of getting severely ill and dying from COVID-19.
Which vaccine did you get?
How long ago did you get your Johnson & Johnson/Janssen shot?
Wait until you hit the two-month mark and then go get your second shot.
If you’re 18 or older, you’re eligible to get an additional shot now with any of the boosters available to you. A second shot is needed to bump up immunity to levels similar to those provided by the mRNA vaccines.
Are you moderately or severely immunocompromised?
You should get a third, full-strength dose of vaccine 28 or more days after your second shot.
And six months after that third dose, you can get a fourth shot, as a booster, with any of the options available to you.
How long ago did you get your second shot?
Go get your second shot — at least three weeks after your first Pfizer dose or four weeks after your first Moderna dose. You’ll be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after that second shot.
You’re still very well-protected against the coronavirus, including from the delta variant. Check back when you’ve reached the six-month mark.
How old are you?
The CDC advises that you get an additional shot now with any of the boosters available to you. Studies show protection against severe disease wanes slightly over time for your age group, and experts agree it’s a good idea to get a booster.
Hold tight, you’re not eligible to get a booster yet.
Do you have cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, mood disorders or any of the underlying medical conditions on this list that put you at high risk of getting very sick from COVID-19?
If you’re 50 and older, the CDC says you should get an additional shot now, with any of the boosters available to you. If you’re under 50, you can choose to get one if you wish.
Do you live in a nursing home, prison, homeless shelter or other setting where you’re at high risk of getting exposed to COVID-19 regularly?
You’re eligible to get an additional shot now with any of the boosters available to you. If you’re in a setting like a nursing home or housing for people with disabilities, where you or those around you may be at high medical risk for COVID-19, the CDC highly recommends you get a booster now.
Do you work in a hospital, school, grocery store, factory or other setting that puts you at high risk of getting exposed to COVID-19 regularly?
You’re eligible to get an additional shot now with any of the boosters available to you.
You’re young, healthy and fully vaccinated — and your work and living situations allow you to limit your exposure to COVID-19. You’re well-protected from severe COVID-19. You don’t need a booster yet.
Which shot should you get? The same one you got initially or mix and match?
Same one? Any additional shot will boost your immune response. However, currently there is more data on the safety and effectiveness of boosting with the same brand of vaccine than with a different one. There’s less evidence for a mix and match strategy, so some clinicians say it’s a better idea to get the same one you got initially.
Mix and match? Some limited evidence suggests you’ll get higher antibody levels from getting a different mRNA booster shot — which might mean better protection. This applies especially to J&J vaccine recipients, who might get a much stronger immune response from an mRNA boost.
Generally, there appears to be no harm from choosing a different shot for your booster and there may be some safety benefits if you’re in the demographic group at risk for the very rare side effects that have been associated with specific vaccines. For instance, women under age 50 have a slight risk of developing serious blood clots after getting the J&J vaccine; men under 30 have a slight risk of developing temporary heart inflammation after getting an mRNA vaccine, particularly the Moderna shot.
Finally, it’s fine to get a different shot simply for convenience. Any of the three options — Pfizer, Moderna or J&J — will greatly increase your antibodies against COVID-19. So if your options are limited, go with what’s available.