Kelli Hawkins, SRHD | khawkins@srhd.org | 509.324.1539, c 509.994.8968

The Washington State Department of Health announced last week the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup concurred with the expanded COVID-19 vaccine recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allowing booster doses of all three COVID-19 vaccine types for everyone 18 and older. A booster dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is recommended at least six months after the primary vaccination series. Everyone 18 and older who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get a booster shot two months after getting vaccinated.

The CDC’s clinical guidance advises people to get the same booster as their initial vaccine, but allows people to mix and match (i.e. get a different COVID-19 booster than their initial vaccine) if they have a different preference.