COVID-19 Vaccine Bivalent Booster Shots

• Updated (bivalent) boosters became available on:
  • September 2, 2022, for people aged 12 years and older
  • October 12, 2022, for people aged 5–11 years
  • December 9, 2022, for children aged 6 months–4 years who completed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine primary series
• Updated (bivalent) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine also became available on December 9, 2022 for children aged 6 months–4 years to complete the primary series.
• CDC recommends everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines for their age group:
  • Children and teens aged 6 months–17 years
  • Adults ages 18 years and older

Booster shots are intended to bolster the effect of the initial dose(s) of the vaccine. Data has shown that after several months the effectiveness of the vaccine, while still substantial, does decline somewhat. This does not mean that the vaccine is no longer working. 

The highly-transmissible Omicron variant makes booster shots even more important. According to the CDC, strong immunity will likely prevent serious illness, and the CDC recommends that everyone 18 and older receive a bivalent booster now two months their initial Pfizer or Moderna series or after their initial Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

Booster shots are used for many types of vaccines, such as for tetanus or whooping cough. Unlike an additional dose of vaccine that is given to individuals who are immunocompromised and do not build up enough protection when they get the initial vaccination, booster doses are given to people who have built enough protection after their vaccine, but that protection decreases over time, a situation called waning immunity.

Talk with your health care provider about any questions or concerns you have about getting a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.

• You are eligible to receive a bivalent booster shot, with either the Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster, at least two months after you received your initial dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or you completed the initial two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
• If you had the two-dose series of the Novavax vaccine, you can receive a bivalent booster shot beginning at two months after you completed the initial two doses of vaccine. This can be with either the Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster.

Refer to the CDC website for more information broken down by age.

Check with the COVID-19 vaccine providers in your community. Bivalent booster shots are widely available through pharmacies, local health departments and other providers. Visit the NYS Department of Health website on boosters.

If you or someone you know is homebound in the Finger Lakes Region and would like to receive a first dose, booster shot, or third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, learn about how to receive vaccine while homebound.