"Booster" Doses and Updated Vaccines

Frequently Asked Questions about "Booster" Doses and Updated Vaccines

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Should I get an updated COVID-19 vaccine if I’ve previously gotten a “booster”? What if I recently had COVID-19?

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Yes, everyone age six months and older should get an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, whether or not they have been previously vaccinated against COVID-19.  The updated vaccine can protect against new variants that are currently responsible for most infections in the United States.  

If you recently had COVID-19, you will still need an updated vaccine but can consider delaying vaccination by three months.

Updated October 29, 2024 

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If I need an updated vaccine dose, does that mean that the previous vaccines don’t work?

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No, all COVID-19 vaccines have been effective at reducing the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, or death. Getting a series of vaccine doses over an extended period of time – like months or years – is common for many vaccines. Over time. updated vaccine doses are needed to protect against new variants of a virus. The researchers who developed the COVID-19 vaccines continue to monitor how well the vaccines protect against new strains of the virus and this research has led to updated vaccines.

Updated October 29, 2024 

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Messaging Resources about "Booster" Doses and Updated Vaccines

Messaging: End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration

May 04, 2023

Updated Toolkit: COVID-19 Booster Dose Messaging and Outreach Tools

Messaging, Graphic
December 20, 2022
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Misinformation Alerts about "Booster" Doses and Updated Vaccines

Outrage over the CDC’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine recommendations
October 29, 2024

The CDC updated its COVID-19 vaccine schedule to recommend that children ages 6 months to 4 years who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine receive a multidose initial series of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. The recommendation sparked outrage among vaccine opponents, including a U.S. senator. Some social media users called the recommendations unnecessary, “devastating,” and

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Florida Health Department advises against fall COVID-19 vaccines
September 12, 2024

On September 12, the Florida Department of Health issued updated guidance advising against the use of updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, contradicting federal health officials. The guidance claims that updated vaccines have not been tested properly for safety and effectiveness, highlights several rare adverse events, and repeats the myth that mRNA vaccines can potentially alter DNA.

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Calls to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine met with disinterest and distrust
September 05, 2024

On September 5, a self-described “alternative news source” shared a video of the New York governor getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging other New Yorkers to do the same. The video garnered over 185,000 views and hundreds of comments expressing negative attitudes and false claims about COVID-19 vaccines. Some posts speculate that the governor

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