Communicating About the Updated COVID-19 Vaccine

Everyone 6 months and older should get the updated vaccine to protect against severe COVID-19 infection.  

The CDC has not provided specific guidance for the 2025-26 respiratory virus season, which typically starts in the fall. Pending updated guidance for the 2025-26 respiratory virus season, expert sources, like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), recommend using the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccination guidance as follows: 

• Children 6 months to 17 years old who have not had a COVID-19 infection or vaccine since fall 2024, should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine based on the Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule from the AAP. 
• Adults who have not had a COVID-19 infection or vaccine since fall 2024, should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine. Adults who recently had or currently have COVID-19 should wait three months after recovery to get an updated vaccine.  
• Adults who are 65 years and older or people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised, should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine before the fall. 
• Pregnant people should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, as recommended by ACOG.

Since 2020, more than 200 million people in the U.S. have safely received at least one COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines remain the most effective way to protect children, adults, and pregnant people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying from COVID-19. People who stay up to date with their vaccines are best protected from the impacts of COVID-19.

People who have previously received a COVID-19 vaccine should get the following doses of the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccines to be considered up to date: 

• Children age 6 months to 4 years should receive all recommended doses, including at least one dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine. 
• Children age 5 to 11 years should receive one dose of the 2024–25 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine OR 2024–25 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Children under 12 years can NOT get the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.  
• People age 12 years and older should receive one dose of the 2024–25 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine OR 2024–25 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine OR 2024-25 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. People age 12 years and older who have never been vaccinated and choose to get the Novavax vaccine need two doses to be up to date. 
• People age 65 years and older and those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive a second dose of the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine six months after their first updated dose. 
• In the absence of updated 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines and in consultation with their healthcare provider, people should consider receiving an additional dose of the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine six months after their last dose, or at least three months after a COVID-19 infection, especially if they have an underlying risk condition. 

People who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine should get the following doses of the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccines to be considered up to date: 

• Children age 6 months to 4 years should get two or three doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccine. The number of doses depends on which vaccine they receive. 
• Children age 5 to 11 years who are unvaccinated or received a COVID-19 vaccine before September 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. 
• People age 12 years and older should get either: 
• 1 dose of the updated Pfizer BioNTech vaccine 
• 1 dose of the updated Moderna vaccine 
• 2 doses of the updated Novavax vaccine between 3-8 weeks apart 
• People age 65 years and older who have not received any COVID-19 vaccine doses and choose to get Novavax should get two doses of the updated Novavax vaccine, followed by one additional dose of any updated 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine. 

People age 65 years and older and those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should also receive an additional dose of the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine six months after their first dose or second dose, depending on the type of updated vaccine they select.

For most adults and children who HAVE insurance, their COVID-19 vaccine should be fully or mostly covered. Insurers typically determine coverage after the CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming fall respiratory virus season. As of July 2025, there is no recommendation for 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccinations. However, there is no indication that insurers will change their COVID-19 vaccination coverage. 

For adults and children who do NOT HAVE insurance, there may be free or very low-cost COVID-19 vaccine options available, but they can be difficult to find. People should talk to their local health department, a local pharmacist, or their healthcare professional about their options.

Some viruses, like COVID-19, change rapidly. These changes mean people need to update their defenses against the virus more often than they do for other viruses. For example, the flu vaccine is updated each season to prevent the flu strains that are most likely to be in circulation.  

As with all vaccines administered to the public, the COVID-19 vaccines have successfully proceeded through the following steps for approval:

• Lab development
• Three phases of clinical trials
• Assessment of clinical trial results by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Development and approval of vaccine recommendations through the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and CDC

Since the vaccines have been distributed, many systems continue to monitor and track outcomes from COVID-19 vaccines to ensure their safety and effectiveness.

The more specific you can get about your audience, the more effective you can be in providing useful, relevant information. Answer the following:

• Which demographics have the highest or lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates? What messages and/or support do they need?
• What do I know about my community’s feelings about COVID-19? How have perceptions changed in recent years and in relation to other public health issues?
• Where can I effectively communicate the various ways my community can protect themselves and others from COVID-19?

Encourage people to make informed choices.

By engaging without dictating, you can build trust in your community and increase their willingness to act on your message. Consider:

• Suggest your community members seek guidance from their local health departments and healthcare professionals.
• Gathering and sharing multiple and diverse trusted resources so people can find guidance that resonates with them. 
• Balancing positive, encouraging language with realistic, scientific language to clearly communicate the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing severe illness.  
• Using consistent language. Vaccine, inoculation, and immunization have similar meanings. Select one to use throughout your communications.

In general, concerns about vaccines are often rooted in fear of the unknown and widely circulated misinformation about the approval process for vaccines. Discuss the details of COVID-19 vaccine development to bust myths while addressing FAQs. Consider: 

• Sharing resources about how COVID-19 vaccines were developed from research to distribution.
• Creating plain language and visually interesting illustrations of clinical trial reports, vaccine success, or other data that supports vaccines.
• Creating resources specifically for different age groups (e.g., older adults, college students, or parents with children of specific age groups) to explain what makes the vaccine safe.

Share plain language information on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Consider:

• Communicating about how COVID-19 vaccines have reduced death and severe illness since they became available.
• Using social infographics that educate followers about the COVID-19 vaccine’s benefits (for example: graphics for each age group on how to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines).  
• Highlighting personal stories of vaccines— including but not limited to COVID-19—that have impacted your community’s health.

Read our Communicating More Effectively About Vaccines guide for additional messaging guidance on this topic. You can also read our Plain Language for Public Health Checklist and Bridging Statements Guide for more tips on sharing effective, relevant, and accessible communications.