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

The Washington State Department of Health announced 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 the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for everyone ages 16 and 17. A booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is recommended at least six months after the primary vaccination series.

Previous authorizations recommend everyone 18 and older should get a booster dose:

• Six months after receiving the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or
• Two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The CDC’s clinical guidance advises people ages 18 and older 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. Only the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for use for the initial series and the booster dose for those ages 16 and 17.