Can I Get More Than One Covid
It’s recommended that both of your first two shots of a two-shot series vaccine be the same brand. If your first shot was Moderna, your second shot should also be Moderna, and the same for Pfizer. However, after completing your two-shot series of either Pfizer or Moderna, you may choose to “mix and match” and receive a different brand for your booster shot. Learn more about booster shots here.
Who Can Get A Covid
The CDC recommends a COVID-19 booster if you are:
- 18 or older and received the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.
- 18 or older and received both required doses of the Moderna vaccine at least six months ago
- 16 or older and received both required doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least six months ago. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only vaccine and booster authorized for individuals ages 16 and 17.
Individuals who have a medical condition associated with immunosuppression are eligible to receive an additional vaccine dose.
Please visit the CDC website for the latest information on vaccine boosters.
The Vaccine Protects Others From Spreading And/or Getting Covid
- The vaccine helps prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19 among family members, friends and people in the community, including people who have a higher risk of getting COVID-19. There are still over 1,000 people a day dying of COVID-19 in the US.
- The vaccine can help stop other variants from happening. Getting the vaccine lessens the viruss ability to infect new people, replicate and change into new variants that may be more dangerous.
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Where Can I Learn More About The Covid
- Your pediatrician or other member of your childs care team
- The CDC
- The American Academy of Pediatrics
Rev. 6/2022. Mass General for Children and Massachusetts General Hospital do not endorse any of the brands listed on this handout. This handout is intended to provide health information so that you can be better informed. It is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to treat any medical conditions.
Booster Shots Third Doses And Additional Doses For Covid

COVID-19 vaccine boosters and additional vaccine doses are now authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for certain people.
Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., senior director of infection prevention, and Gabor Kelen, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, explain what you need to know about these COVID shots.
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Does It Work Against New Variants
Based on the evidence so far, the new variants of SARS-CoV-2, including the B.1.1.7 and the 501Y.V2, do not alter the effectiveness of the Moderna mRNA vaccine. The monitoring, collection and analysis of data on new variants and their impact on the effectiveness of COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines continues.
How Long Does The Vaccine Last
It is not yet clear how long natural and vaccine-induced immunity lasts and whether additional doses of vaccine will be required in the future. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are reportedly developing a booster vaccine that could be used if a variant of SARS-CoV-2 shows evidence that the vaccines are not effective enough against them. Click here to learn the latest about variants from CDC.
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Is Supply An Issue
Earlier in the vaccinations, supply may have been an issue for second doses. But thats no longer the case, Sandy said.
There is plenty of supply now, she said. When you get your first dose and if your second dose appointment isnt automatically scheduled, ask for that appointment to be made and confirmed.
And while its encouraged to get your second dose at the same location where you received the first, if thats not possible, some of the national retail pharmacies can administer a second dose. Just make sure to take your vaccination card with you so you confirm you receive the same manufacturer Pfizer or Moderna that you did for the first dose.
Need a COVID-19 vaccination?
If you are traveling or just not available on the day your second shot is scheduled, get it as soon as possible.
The timing of the second dose doesnt need to be exact, Sandy said. If you have to miss your scheduled appointment for some reason, there is wiggle room to get the second dose, even though it is optimal to get your second Pfizer dose 21 days after your first and Moderna 28 days after the first.
CDC guidelines state the second shot may be given up to six weeks after the first dose, if necessary, but you should not get it earlier than 21 for Pfizer or 28 days for Moderna.
What Happens If You Don’t Get The Pfizer Or Moderna Second Dose On Time
With current vaccine shortages, and problems with setting up the infrastructure to vaccinate millions of people, many physicians are concerned that the second dose of vaccine won’t be delivered in the prescribed three-to-four-week window.
That booster shot is necessary for the T-cells to stimulate the memory B-cells to produce massive quantities of antibodies. If the booster isn’t given within the appropriate window, lower quantities of antibodies will be produced that may not provide as powerful protection from the virus.
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How Do These Vaccines Work
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines both use mRNA technology. The cells in your body naturally use mRNA all the time to create many different types of proteins that you need to stay healthy.
The mRNA in the two-dose COVID-19 vaccines provide the cells of your body with instructions on how to make the spike protein thats specific to the new coronavirus. This spike protein is found on the surface of the virus. It uses this spike protein to attach to and enter a host cell in your body.
When you get your COVID-19 vaccine, your immune system processes information on the spike protein and generates an immune response to it. This includes the production of antibodies.
Vaccines hinge on a very important aspect of your immune system, which is the fact that it has memory. After your vaccination, your immune system continues to store information on the spike protein.
If youre exposed to the new coronavirus, your immune system will then use this stored information to respond and protect you from the virus. This can help prevent you from becoming sick with COVID-19.
The entire immunity process typically takes around 2 weeks after the second dose of vaccine. Thats why you can still contract the new coronavirus and become ill if youre exposed to it shortly after getting your vaccine.
relatively weak immune response when given as just one dose. However, there was a stronger immune response when a second dose was added.
Why do you need this waiting period?
Myocarditis Or Pericarditis In Young People
In rare cases, myocarditis and pericarditis can develop after vaccination with the Moderna vaccine.
These rare effects on the heart typically occur:
- within 10 days of vaccination
- particularly after the second dose
- more often in men under 30.
Contact a doctor or go to hospital immediately if you develop any of the following symptoms after a Moderna vaccination:
- chest pain
- pain when breathing.
Low risk of developing myocarditis or pericarditis
In the US, reported rates in males were 10 cases per million after first doses, and 67 cases per million after second doses. The TGA will monitor the risk in the Australian population.
Treatment
Most cases have mild symptoms and recover well.
Fact sheets
The Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre has a page on myocarditis and pericarditis that includes an explanatory video.
Injection technique unlikely to cause myocarditis
ATAGI does not consider injection technique to cause adverse events because most myocarditis cases occur after the second dose. If accidentally injecting into a blood vessel was a factor, cases would occur equally after both doses.
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Whats The Recommended Dosage
SAGE recommends the use of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine at a schedule of two doses 28 days apart. If necessary, the interval between the doses may be extended to 42 days.
Studies have shown a high public health impact where the interval has been longer than that recommended by the EUL. Accordingly, countries facing a high incidence of COVID-19 combined with severe vaccine supply constraints could consider delaying the second dose up to 12 weeks in order to achieve a higher first dose coverage in high priority populations.
Compliance with the full schedule is recommended and the same product should be used for both doses.
When Should Eligible Patients Get An Additional Dose

If you meet the criteria for being moderately or severely immunocompromised, you can receive an additional dose 28 days or later after completing your first vaccine series. To ensure the best immune response to the additional dose, MSK experts recommend that patients discuss the optimal timing of the extra dose with their clinical care team.
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My Child Already Had Covid
Yes, you should still have your child get the vaccine when they are cleared by their pediatrician or medical team. Research has shown that people with hybrid immunity are the most protected from future infections. Hybrid immunity is when a persons immune system can better protect against a certain disease if theyve had that disease and received a vaccine for it.
If your child received antibody-based treatments for COVID-19, talk with your doctor about when to get the vaccine.
If You Get Covid Between Your First And Second Dose Should You Reschedule Your Second Dose Appointment
According to Loafman, it is recommended that you reschedule.
“First of all, you know, you’re already developing some natural immunity from the virus itself. So, the need for the vaccine is now delayed so there’s no urgent need to do it because you already have immunity – natural immunity,” he said. “And in addition, there is some concern that some patients will have worse side effects then, because they’re still kind of recovering, they’re still developing the initial immunity from the virus. So there’s pain without the game, potentially.”
According to Loafman, there’s a window of time to reschedule.
“You have some time, a window, and it’s thought to be a minimum two to three months of good, healthy immunity from the virus itself,” he said. “So take that opportunity to convalesce and recover, and then get or finish the COVID vaccination when it will start to become helpful again.”
But when will you know when you should reschedule?
Chicago’s top doctor said the quarantine measures required for anyone who gets COVID still apply, regardless of vaccination.
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Reporting Adverse Events And Vaccine Administration Errors
The vaccination provider is responsible for mandatory reporting of the following to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System :
- vaccine administration errors whether or not associated with an adverse event
- serious adverse events
- cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in adults
- cases of COVID19 that result in hospitalization or death
Complete and submit reports to VAERS online at . For further assistance with reporting to VAERS, call . Reports should include the words âModerna COVID19 Vaccine EUAâ in the description section of the report.
Report to ModernaTX, Inc. by calling or provide a copy of the VAERS form by faxing 18665991342 or emailing .
Please see the
Moderna COVID19 Vaccine is authorized to provide:
FDA has approved SPIKEVAX as a two-dose primary series one month apart for prevention of COVID19 in individuals ages 18 years of age and older.
Monitoring And Reporting Requirements
In order to mitigate the risks of using this unapproved product under EUA and to optimize the potential benefit of Moderna COVID19 Vaccine, the following items are required. Use of unapproved Moderna COVID19 Vaccine for active immunization to prevent COVID19 under this EUA is limited to the following :
- vaccine administration errors whether or not associated with an adverse event,
- serious adverse events* ,
- cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome , and
- cases of COVID-19 that result in hospitalization or death.
- *Serious adverse events are defined as:
- Death
Moderna COVID19 Vaccine is authorized to provide:
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The Novavax Vaccine Against Covid
The Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing listed Nuvaxovid vaccine against COVID-19 and Covovax vaccine against COVID-19 for emergency use on 20 December 2021 and 17 December 2021 respectively.
The Novavax vaccine will be manufactured in two different facilities. In Europe, the vaccine will be manufactured under the trade name Nuvaxovid and has been approved by the European Medicines Agency, and in India, the vaccine will be manufactured by Serum Institute of India under the trade name Covovax and has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization has issued interim policy recommendations for the use of the Novavax vaccine. This article provides a summary of those interim recommendations.
For the purposes of this article, the vaccine will be referred to as Novavax .
The background documents are also available here.
Does My Covid Booster Or Additional Dose Have To Be The Same Brand That I Got Before
No, you can mix and match brands. The FDA has authorized three vaccine boosters Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson and determined that it is safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster or additional dose that is a different brand than your initial dose or doses.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only vaccine and booster authorized for individuals ages 16 and 17.
If you get the Moderna booster, you will receive half of the original Moderna dose. Please be sure to confirm this with the person giving you the shot.
COVID-19 Vaccine
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If You Miss Your Second Dose
There are many reasons you might miss your second dose. If you test positive for COVID-19 after your first dose but before your second, it is recommended that you wait until you are done with the isolation period before you get your second dose.
If you miss your second dose for any reason, get it as soon as possible. The CDC recommends the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines should be administered up to six weeks after the first dose. Reach out to the site where you received your first dose to reschedule. You do not need to restart the two-dose series again.
How The Vaccine Works

Spikevax stimulates the bodys natural defences . The vaccine works by causing the body to produce protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. Spikevax uses a substance called messenger ribonucleic acid to carry instructions that cells in the body can use to make the spike protein that is also on the virus. The cells then make antibodies against the spike protein to help fight off the virus. This will help to protect you against COVID-19.
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Do People Have To Receive Two Doses And Do They Have To Be The Same Type Of Covid
Yes, it is important that every person who receives a COVID-19 vaccine receive the full two-dose course of a vaccine. Both Pfizer and AstraZeneca require 2 doses to provide the best immunity. Pfizer doses are given at least 21 days apart. AstraZeneca doses can be given 4 12 weeks apart, but the Australian Technical Advisory Group in Immunisation recommend doses should be 12 weeks apart. When its your turn to get the COVID-19 vaccine, you will be able to make that equally important follow up appointment.
It is important you get the same type of COVID-19 vaccine. This is because the evidence from clinical trials shows this is effective and is what is approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration .
Individuals Previously Infected With Sars
A complete primary series may be offered in light of the variability in the robustness and durability of protection conferred by prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. The immune response due to prior infection may vary due to factors such as the severity of infection, age, presence of comorbidities and possibly the SARS-CoV-2 variant causing the infection.
Recommendations
It is recommended that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to individuals 5 years of age and older with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection without contraindications to the vaccine.
Recommendations for booster doses also apply to individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Refer to Table 5 for suggested intervals between previous infection and COVID-19 vaccination prior to and after completion of the primary series. Refer to Booster doses for information regarding the type and dose of booster doses for individuals 12 years of age and older.
Considerations
Testing for previous SARS-CoV-2 infection is not needed prior to COVID-19 vaccination.
A longer interval between infection and vaccination may result in a better immune response as this allows time for this response to mature in breadth and strength, and for circulating antibodies to decrease, thus avoiding immune interference when the vaccine is administered.
Current evidence suggests protection is more robust and longer lasting with vaccination in previously infected individuals compared to immunity from SARS-CoV-2 infection alone.
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