To be considered fully vaccinated, the Comirnaty (Pfizer) and Moderna vaccine require two doses, and the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine requires one dose.  A “booster dose” is another dose of a vaccine that is given to someone who built enough protection after vaccination, but then that protection decreased overtime (this is called waning immunity).

Booster shots are recommended for those who are:

• 12 and older and completed their primary vaccination series of Pfizer at least 5 months ago
• 18 and older and completed their primary vaccination series of Moderna at least 5 months ago or completed their primary vaccination of Johnson & Johnson at least 2 months ago

If you are age 12 to 17, you must receive the Pfizer booster as it is the only vaccine approved for this age group. If you are 18 or older, you may choose to receive the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), Moderna or Pfizer booster.  The CDC has approved mix and match booster doses for those who are eligible for a booster dose after their primary series. This means that a person can receive a booster of a COVID-19 vaccine that is different than the COVID-19 vaccine they received for their primary series.