People with COVID-19 who have symptoms should wait to be vaccinated until they have recovered from their illness and have met the criteria for discontinuing isolation; those without symptoms should also wait until they meet the criteria before getting vaccinated. This guidance also applies to people who get COVID-19 before getting their second dose of vaccine. If you recently had COVID-19, you may consider delaying your next COVID-19 vaccine by 3 months from when your symptoms started or when you received a positive test, but it is not necessary.  

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection to your immune system. People who already had COVID-19 and do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more likely to get COVID-19 again than those who get vaccinated after their recovery.

 You can get the second dose if your isolation is over and:

• It has been 3 weeks (21 days) since your first dose of Comirnaty (Pfizer); OR
• It has been 3 weeks (21 days) since your first dose of Novavax; OR
• It has been 4 weeks (28 days) since your first dose of Spikevax (Moderna)

 An 8-week interval between the first and second doses of Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines may be optimal for some people as it may reduce the small risk of myocarditis and/or pericarditis associated with these COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in males ages 12–39 years.