People with COVID-19 should wait to be vaccinated until they have recovered from their illness and have met the criteria for discontinuing isolation, even if they were asymptomatic. You may consider delaying your booster vaccine by 3 months from when your symptoms started or, if you had no symptoms, when you received a positive test. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against COVID-19. 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.
Initial booster shots are recommended for those who are:
- Age 5 and older and completed their primary vaccination series of Pfizer at least 5 months ago
- Age 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
See additional recommendations for people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. A second booster dose is recommended for certain people at increased risk of severe disease.
The recommended vaccination schedule from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is available here.