CDC Issues Booster Dose Recommendation

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made its recommendation for “booster” shots to help strengthen protection against severe disease in populations considered at high risk for exposure to COVID-19 or the complications from severe disease.

The recommendation comes in the wake of the Delta variant’s dominance as the circulating strain of COVID-19, which overloaded front-line healthcare workers, emergency rooms and hospitals across the state.

Although the CDC made its recommendation for booster doses for some groups of people at least six months after they received their second dose, it has not yet issued recommendations for the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

The CDC recommends the following groups should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after receiving their second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech:

• people aged 65 years and older
• residents aged 18 years and older in long-term care settings
• people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions

The CDC also recommends the following groups may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after receiving their second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, based on their individual benefits and risks:

• people aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions
• people aged 18–64 years at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of an occupational or institutional setting

Lee Health is prepared to provide boosters based on this recommendation. Click here for more information regarding the CDC’s recommendation.

To schedule an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster, click here.