Important update: Healthcare facilities
CDC has updated select ways to operate healthcare systems effectively in response to COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more
UPDATE
Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, CDC has updated the guidance for fully vaccinated people. CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.
UPDATE
The White House announced that vaccines will be required for international travelers coming into the United States, with an effective date of November 8, 2021. For purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines. More information is available here.
UPDATE
Travel requirements to enter the United States are changing, starting November 8, 2021. More information is available here.

Stay Up to Date with Your COVID-19 Vaccines

Stay Up to Date with Your COVID-19 Vaccines

What You Need to Know

About COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and even dying—especially people who are boosted. As with other diseases, you are protected best from COVID-19 when you stay up to date with recommended vaccines.

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Approved or Authorized Vaccines

Three COVID-19 vaccines are authorized or approved for use in the United States to prevent COVID-19. Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna are COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and are preferred. You may get Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in some situations.

Pfizer-BioNTechModernaJohnson & Johnson's Janssen

When Are You Up to Date?

You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines when you have received all doses in the primary series and one booster when eligible, as shown below.

  • Getting a second booster is not necessary to be considered up to date at this time.
  • The recommendations will be different depending on your age, your health status, what vaccine you first received, and when you first got vaccinated.

Adults ages 18 or older

Children and teens ages 12–17 years

Children ages 5–11 years

1 Talk to your healthcare or vaccine provider about the timing for the second dose in your primary series.

  • People ages 12 through 64 yearsand especially males ages 12 through 39 years, may consider getting the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) 8 weeks after the first dose. A longer time between the first and second doses may increase how much protection the vaccines offer, and further minimize the already rare risk of heart problems, including myocarditis and pericarditis.
  • People ages 5 through 11 years, people ages 65 years and older, people more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, or anyone wanting protection due to high levels of community transmission should get the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 3 weeks (or 21 days) after the first dose, or the second dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine 4 weeks (or 28 days) after the first dose.

2 If you have completed your primary series—but are not yet eligible for a booster—you are also considered up to date. Stay up to date by getting one booster when you are eligible. Getting a second booster is not necessary to be considered up to date at this time.

Mixing COVID-19 Vaccine Products

CDC does not recommend mixing products for your primary vaccine series.

If you received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, you should get the same product for your second shot in the primary series. People eligible for a booster who are ages 18 years and older may get a different product for their booster. People eligible for a booster who are ages 12 through 17 years must get the same product (Pfizer-BioNTech) for their booster.

Timing of COVID-19 Vaccination After Infection

People who have COVID-19 should wait to receive any vaccine, including a COVID-19 vaccine, until after they recover and complete their isolation period.

Additionally, people who recently had COVID-19 may consider delaying their next booster by 3 months from when their symptoms started or, if they had no symptoms, when they first received a positive test. Reinfection is less likely in the weeks to months after infection. However, certain factors, such as personal risk of severe disease, local COVID-19 community level, and the dominant COVID-19 variant, could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later.

Talk to your healthcare professional if you have questions about when to get your next COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccination Outside the United States

If you received COVID-19 vaccines outside the United States, whether you are up to date depends on which COVID-19 vaccine (and how many doses) you received. Learn more about when people vaccinated outside the United States are considered fully vaccinated.

Allergic Reaction to a COVID-19 Vaccine Product

If you had a severe allergic reaction after a previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or if you have a known (diagnosed) allergy to a COVID-19 vaccine ingredient, you should not get that vaccine. If you have been instructed not to get one type of COVID-19 vaccine, you may still be able to get another type.

Scheduling Your COVID-19 Vaccines

Find a COVID-19 vaccine or booster: Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you.

There are several ways you can find a vaccine provider. You can get your COVID-19 vaccines at the same location, or different locations.

  • If you need help scheduling your second shot or your booster, contact the location that set up your previous appointment.
  • Some community vaccination clinics have closed. You can get your second shot or your booster at a different location.

Learn more about getting your COVID-19 vaccine.