What is the current recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination?

CDC recommends that all people age 6 months or older should be vaccinated with a 2024–2025 Formula COVID-19 vaccine, as authorized or approved by FDA. There are three options: Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine (both FDA-authorized beginning at age 6 months and FDA-licensed for age 12 years and older), or Novavax adjuvanted protein subunit vaccine (authorized for age 12 years or older). Most people age 5 years or older should receive a single dose of vaccine.

Certain people need, or have the option to receive, more than one 2024–2025 Formula COVID-19 vaccine dose:

• If administering Novavax to a previously unvaccinated person age 12 years or older, administer a recommended 2-dose primary series, with doses 3-8 weeks apart.

• Children younger than age 5 years are recommended to receive at least one 2024–2025 Formula mRNA vaccine dose. If not previously vaccinated, or incompletely vaccinated, they should complete a 2-dose (Moderna) or 3-dose (Pfizer-BioNTech) primary series, using the same brand for all doses. CDC recommends that children younger than age 5 years receive the same brand for all doses (also referred to as homologous doses), even after completing the primary series. If it is not feasible to administer the same brand for one of the following reasons, it is acceptable to use a different brand: the brand is unavailable at the clinic at the time of the vaccination visit; the previous brand is unknown; the child would not otherwise receive a recommended vaccine; or, the child cannot continue with the previous brand due to a contraindication.

• Individuals who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and who have not already completed a 3-dose primary series, should complete a 3-dose primary vaccination series with the current 2024–2025 formulation. Use the same brand for all doses of the primary series, unless the brand is unavailable at the time of the clinic visit, the patient would otherwise choose not to complete the series, or the patient has a contraindication to vaccination with the original product. If the primary series is already complete, then a single dose of any age-appropriate 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine should be administered at least 2 months after the most recent dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Additional doses may be given, spaced at least 2 months apart, as determined by these individuals with their clinical care teams.

At this time, adults age 65 years and older who are not moderately or severely immunocompromised are recommended to receive only 1 dose of any 2024–2025 Formula COVID-19 vaccine. These adults are not currently recommended to receive a second dose 6 months after the first dose. ACIP will consider recommendations for revaccination in the future.