Covid19

Stay protected by staying up-to-date with your primary series and boosters

Primary Series

The CDC recommends the COVID-19 vaccines to everyone 6 months and older.

What you need to know

Everyone aged 6 years and older should get the updated Pfizer-BioNTech to be up to date.
People aged 65 years and older may get a 2nd dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Children aged 6 months–5 years may need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date, including at least 1 dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, depending on the number of doses they’ve previously received and their age.
COVID-19 vaccine recommendations will be updated as needed.

Boosters

The updated bivalent COVID-19 boosters specifically add protection against the Omicron variant, the current most common variant.

Moderna

Bivalent Moderna boosters are available for those aged 6 months and older who've completed their Moderna primary series or received their last booster at least 2 months prior.

Pfizer-BioNTech

Bivalent Pfizer boosters are available for those age 5+, who have completed their primary series or received their last booster at least 2 months prior.

Moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals have specific COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Visit the CDC to learn more.

For additional recommendations, and to see if you’re up to date with vaccines, visit the CDC website.

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Get the facts about the COVID-19 vaccine

What is a bivalent booster, and why should I get one?

The updated booster targets Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, and the original strain of the COVID-19 virus, in a single shot. It can help provide protection for you, your family and friends.

Can my child get the omicron booster?

Yes! CareArc offers the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster to children 6 months and older. The vaccine is safe and effective in children and prevents serious illness.

What are my choices for a bivalent booster?

CDC recommends getting the updated Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster dose for everyone aged 5 years and older if it has been at least 2 months since your last dose.

Children aged 6 months to 4 years who completed the Moderna primary series and if it has been at least 2 months since their last dose should get the booster. There is no booster recommendation for children aged 6 months to 4 years who got the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine primary series because a bivalent vaccine is part of their 3 dose course.

Are COVID-19 vaccines safe?

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. The vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA).

More than 667 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in the United States from December 14, 2020, through January 18, 2023.

The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccines will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in US history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Learn how the federal government is ensuring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

What are the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines?

According to the CDC and FDA, adverse reactions or side effects for most people are usually mild in intensity and resolve within a few days. The most common adverse reactions reported after vaccination in clinical studies included:

Pain at injection site
Fatigue
Headache
Muscle pain
Chills
Joint pain
Fever
Injection site swelling
Injection site redness

Some people also experience:

Nausea/vomiting
Malaise
Swollen lymph nodes

When are you considered fully vaccinated?

The CDC considers a person to be fully vaccinated two weeks after completion of one of the three vaccines available in the U.S. The number of shots needed to complete your primary series depends on your age and the vaccine received.

If I have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine, can I start with the updated booster?

No. Per guidance from the FDA and CDC, the bivalent COVID-19 booster may only be administered two months after a patient completes their initial primary series or two months after the patient’s most recent monovalent booster dose. Per FDA authorization, the previously available monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized as booster doses for individuals 5 years of age and older. The updated booster cannot be used for the primary series at this time.

Can I mix and match which booster shot I get, or should I get the same shot as my first?

It is safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster or additional dose that is a different brand than your initial dose or doses. The omicron booster doses are equally effective and CareArc recommends that individuals get whichever bivalent vaccine is available.

Visit the CDC to learn more about the recommendation of booster shots.

Can I get the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as my flu shot or other immunizations?

Yes. There is no need to stagger vaccinations.

Studies conducted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic indicate that it is safe to get both a flu vaccine and a COVID-19 vaccine at the same visit. Getting both vaccines at the same time might be more convenient than having two separate visits.

Is the booster covered by insurance?

Yes. At this time the updated booster is available at no cost to any eligible patient either through insurance or if uninsured.

Which COVID-19 vaccine is better?

While the CDC advises that getting any COVID-19 vaccine is better than not getting vaccinated, the agency now recommends receiving an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), which is preferred over the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine.

The CDC points to vaccine effectiveness, vaccine safety and abundant vaccine supply as reasons for why it is recommending Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will continue to be available in limited supply to those who are unable to, don’t have access to or prefer not to receive an mRNA vaccine.

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