The CDC has expanded booster eligibility and its recommendations to include “mix and match” dosing—receiving a booster of a different type from the primary vaccine.
“Eligible individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose,” the recommendation states.
Eligibility expansions include:
For individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at 6 months or more after their initial series:
- 65 years and older
- Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
- Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
- Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings
For the nearly 15 million people who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.
The recommendation was made Oct. 21 by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) and endorsed by CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H.
“Available data right now show that all three of the COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant,” the CDC stated.
