Vaccine Recommendations
- What are the latest COVID-19 vaccination recommendations?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine. Children age 6 months to 4 years need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be up to date, including at least 1 dose of updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Click here to find COVID-19 vaccine available near you or check with your healthcare provider, pharmacy or local health department. Learn more about the vaccine.
- Why did they make an updated COVID-19 vaccine?
The virus that causes COVID-19 is always changing, and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. Receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine can restore protection and provide enhanced protection against the variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States.
Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax have each created an updated COVID-19 vaccine to target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19.
- What are the vaccination recommendations for children under 5?
The CDC recommends that children age 6 months to 4 years receive multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including at least 1 dose of updated COVID-19 vaccine. See CDC COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children age 6 months to 4 years for specific guidance.
Click here to find COVID-19 vaccine available near you or check with your healthcare provider, pharmacy or local health department. Learn more about the vaccine.
- Can I get the updated COVID-19 vaccine if I haven’t been vaccinated yet?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19, including those who have not yet been vaccinated.
Click here to find COVID-19 vaccine available near you or check with your healthcare provider, pharmacy or local health department. Learn more about the vaccine.
- Is the Novavax vaccine recommended?
The updated Novavax vaccine has been authorized by the FDA and is recommended for people 12 and older. If you have previously been vaccinated with any COVID-19 vaccine, you are eligible to receive one dose of Novavax vaccine (as long as you have not been vaccinated with the recently updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine). If you have not been vaccinated with any COVID-19 vaccine, you are eligible to receive two doses of Novavax vaccine. See CDC Novavax vaccine guidance for more information.
Click here to find COVID-19 vaccine available near you or check with your healthcare provider, pharmacy or local health department. Learn more about the vaccine.
- Who is at greatest risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and what should they do?
Some groups are increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, including older adults (especially those over age 50), people who are immunocompromised or have certain medical conditions, and pregnant or recently pregnant individuals.
Staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines is the best way to protect yourself and others around you from getting very sick, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19. The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine. If you are at increased risk for getting very sick from COVID-19, medications are available that can reduce your chances of severe illness and death. Treatment needs to be started within a few days of infection to be effective. Visit the Indiana COVID-19 Treatment page for more information and a map of sites offering treatment.
Understanding the risk of COVID-19 for yourself and those around you can help you make informed decisions to keep you safe and healthy. If you have risk factors, have a COVID-19 plan in place in case you get sick, and discuss that plan with your healthcare provider and those close to you. Learn what extra precautions you can take to protect yourself and others in settings that make you more likely to be exposed to COVID-19.
- Can you mix and match the vaccines?
People 12 and older who have received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine can receive the updated Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. A person can receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine that is different than the COVID-19 vaccine they received for their primary series or previous booster(s).
People between the ages of 5 and 11 who have received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine can receive either updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Children age 6 months to 4 years should receive all doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the same manufacturer to complete their multi-dose series. For more information, see interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines.
- Are there different recommendations for people who are immunocompromised?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine. See COVID-19 vaccination guidance for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised for additional information.
Understanding the risk of COVID-19 for yourself and those around you can help you make informed decisions to keep you safe and healthy. If you have risk factors, have a COVID-19 plan in place in case you get sick, and discuss that plan with your healthcare provider and those close to you. Learn what extra precautions you can take to protect yourself and others in settings that make you more likely to be exposed to COVID-19.
- Why is bivalent COVID-19 vaccine no longer available?
The virus that causes COVID-19 is always changing, and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. While the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines provided enhanced protection against illness and hospitalization last year, new variants are emerging and replacing previous variants. Variants of the XBB family are currently causing most COVID-19 cases.
Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax have each created an updated COVID-19 vaccine to target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19.