You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines if you have completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series and received the most recent booster dose recommended for you by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Vaccine recommendations are based on your age, the vaccine you first received, and time since your last dose. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.
All Pennsylvanians age 6 months and older can get a COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying, according to the CDC. UPMC Health Plan encourages members age 6 months and older to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine and recommended boosters.
COVID-19 vaccines encouraged by UPMC Health Plan are Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, and Novavax. While the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for use, the CDC recommends that it only be considered in some situations.
Updated COVID-19 boosters, or bivalent boosters, target the most recent Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, that are more contagious and more resistant than earlier strains of Omicron. 1
Details about COVID-19 vaccines and boosters by age are below.
Accessed Dec. 27, 2022
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters: Children – 6 months to 4 years old
|
First dose |
Second dose |
Third dose |
| Pfizer-BioNTech |
Primary series |
Primary series:
3-8 weeks after first dose |
Primary series:
At least 8 weeks after second dose |
| ModernaTX, Inc. |
Primary series |
Primary series:
4-8 weeks after first dose |
Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd Moderna dose, children aged 6 months–4 years can only get a Moderna booster, and children aged 5 years can get a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna updated booster. |
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters: Children – 5–11 years old
|
First dose |
Second dose |
Third dose |
| Pfizer-BioNTech |
Primary series |
Primary series:
3-8 weeks after first dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd dose or last booster, children age 5 years can only get a Pfizer-BioNTech booster, and children ages 6–11 years can get a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster. |
| ModernaTX, Inc. |
Primary series |
Primary series:
4-8 weeks after first dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd Moderna dose, children aged 5 years can get a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna updated booster. |
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters: Children and teens – 12 years–17 years old
|
First dose |
Second dose |
Third dose |
| Pfizer-BioNTech |
Primary series |
Primary series:
3-8 weeks after first dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd dose or last booster |
| ModernaTX, Inc. |
Primary series |
Primary series:
4-8 weeks after first dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd dose or last booster |
| Novavax |
Primary series |
Primary series:
3-8 weeks after first dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd dose or last booster |
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters: Adults – 18 years old and older
|
First dose |
Second dose |
Third dose |
| Pfizer-BioNTech |
Primary series |
Primary series:
3-8 weeks after first dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Updated Bivalent Booster
At least 2 months after 2nd dose or last booster |
| ModernaTX, Inc. |
Primary series |
Primary series:
4-8 weeks after first dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd dose or last booster |
| Novavax |
Primary series |
Primary series:
3-8 weeks after first dose |
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd dose or last booster
A monovalent Novavax booster is available in limited situations |
| Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen |
Primary series |
Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Updated Bivalent Booster:
At least 2 months after 2nd primary series dose
A monovalent J&J/Janssen booster is available in limited situations. |
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html. Accessed Dec. 21, 2022.
We know it may be difficult to speak with your children about the COVID-19 vaccine. You and your children may have a lot of questions, and we can help you answer them.
Read our FAQ regarding children and the COVID-19 vaccine
CDC's guidelines for boosters
Keep in mind that these guidelines can change over time as we learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. For the most current information, check the CDC website.
We encourage everyone to get the vaccine and booster shots as soon as they can. COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots are covered no matter which one you get or where you get it in the United States. Use the resources below to find a COVID-19 vaccine or booster near you.
Schedule now
If you need help scheduling your COVID-19 vaccine, call a Health Care Concierge at the number on your member ID card or
chat with us.
Help is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from
8 a.m. to
3 p.m. (TTY: 711)
If your child is a UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics patient, you can
schedule an appointment online or by calling the office.
Our neighbor Daniel Tiger can help! Use our Virtual Concierge to listen to an audio story with your child. You can hear it on Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant devices.