COVID-19 vaccine booster program begins

Updated bivalent booster doses are recommended for: 

• Everyone aged 5 years and older if it has been at least 2 months since your last dose. 
• Children aged 6 months–4 years who completed the Moderna primary series and if it has been at least 2 months since their last dose. 

NOTE: There is no booster recommendation for children aged 6 months–4 years who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine primary series. 

Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines Including Boosters | CDC 

NOTE: Individuals—particularly adolescent or young adult males—might consider waiting four weeks after receiving a orthopoxvirus vaccination (either JYNNEOS or ACAM2000) before receiving a Moderna, Novavax, or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

This is because of the observed risk for myocarditis and/or pericarditis after receiving the  ACAM2000 orthopoxvirus vaccine and mRNA (i.e., Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech) and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the unknown risk for myocarditis and/or pericarditis after receiving the JYNNEOS vaccine.

Yes, it is recommended you receive a COVID-19 booster even if you’ve already had and recovered from COVID-19.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against COVID-19. You may consider delaying your vaccine by three months from when your symptoms started or, if you had no symptoms, when you received a positive test.

People who already had COVID-19 and do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more likely to get COVID-19 again than those who get vaccinated after their recovery.

A monovalent COVID-19 mRNA booster only protects against the original strain of COVID-19. Bivalent COVID-19 mRNA boosters are updated boosters that include protection against both the original strain of COVID-19, as well as the omicron variants.

UEHC is offering first, second, and booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

UEHC will not offer the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) or Novavax vaccines, though these vaccines are widely available through community pharmacies.

You can also receive your flu vaccination through UEHC, which can be administered at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine.

Employees can schedule their booster (or first or second doses) of the COVID-19 vaccine through the University Employee Health Clinic (UEHC) by following the directions below.

You can also email UEHC UEHCReadySet@healthcare.uiowa.edu or call 319-356-3631 if you cannot self-schedule in ReadySet.

Yes, you can reach still receive the booster through UEHC by following the directions in the question above.

Yes, though you should review the details below to determine your eligibility based on the vaccine you received as part of your primary vaccination series:  

Primary series:  

• The CDC does not recommend mixing vaccines for your primary series doses.  

Boosters:  

• People ages 5 years and older may get a different vaccine for a booster than they received for their primary series. Bivalent vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) are recommended. 
• Children ages 6 months–4 years who completed the Moderna primary series may receive a bivalent booster, if it has been at least 2 months since their last dose. 
• Novavax booster: 
  • You may choose to receive monovalent Novavax booster if you are unable or unwilling to receive a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna updated (bivalent) COVID-19 booster and if you meet the following requirements: 
    • You are 18 years of age or older 
    • You completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series at least six months ago 
    • You have not received any other booster dose 

People who completed all of the recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine which is listed for emergency use by the WHO but is not approved or authorized by FDA, or people who completed a heterologous (mix and match) series composed of any combination of FDA-approved, FDA-authorized, or WHO emergency use listed COVID-19 vaccines:

• Are considered fully vaccinated.
• Under the Emergency Use Instructions (EUI), moderately or severely immunocompromised people aged ≥12 years should receive an additional primary dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (30 µg formulation [purple cap]) at least 28 days after receiving the second vaccine dose of their primary series.
• Under the EUI, people aged ≥18 years (including moderately or severely immunocompromised people who received an additional primary dose) should receive a single booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (30 µg formulation [purple cap]) at least 6 months after completing their primary series.

WHO has listed the following COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use:

• • Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (e.g., BNT162b2, COMIRNATY, Tozinameran)
  • AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine (e.g., [ChAdOx1-S (recombinant)], AZD1222, Covishield, Vaxzevria)
  • Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine (e.g., Ad26.COV2.S)
  • Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (e.g., mRNA 1273, Takeda, Spikevax)
  • Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine (Nuvaxovid; recombinant, adjuvanted)
  • Sinopharm-BIBP COVID-19 Vaccine
  • Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 Vaccine
  • Bharat Biotech International COVID-19 Vaccine (e.g., BBV152, COVAXIN)

Please remember to bring your employee ID badge and your vaccination card with you to your appointment. 

• Arm pain
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Chills

No. However, it is important you update your COVID-19 Immunization Survey in ReadySet to indicate that you have received your booster elsewhere. 

Hourly employees and non-exempt employees, who normally badge in ELMS, will be paid for the time spent receiving the vaccine through the University Employee Health Clinic. There is a badge reader located in the vaccination clinic.

You can view the date of your last COVID-19 vaccination on your COVID-19 vaccine card.

If you received your initial COVID-19 vaccinations through the University Employee Health Clinic, you can also view this information by logging into ReadySet. Once in ReadySet, choose “Results” under Test Results on the left-hand menu. In the list to the right, choose “COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) IMMUNIZATION RECORD,” and “Date vaccine administered,” and in the middle of the page it will show the date it was received.

You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after completing a two dose mRNA vaccine series (like the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines), two weeks after the two dose Novavax vaccine series, or two weeks after the one dose Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine. 

Sometimes people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised do not build enough protection when they first get a vaccination. When this happens, getting another dose of the vaccine can sometimes help them build more protection against the disease.

This appears to be the case for some immunocompromised people and COVID-19 vaccines. In these cases, the additional dose is considered part of their original COVID-19 vaccination series. Certain immunocompromised individuals require three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines as their primary series instead of the two doses required by the general population. Similarly, certain immunocompromised individuals require two doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine as their primary series, instead of the one dose required by the general population.

In contrast, a “booster dose” refers to another dose of a vaccine given to someone who built enough protection after their primary COVID-19 vaccination series (two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson). Over time, immunity provided by the vaccines starts to decrease—something known as “waning immunity.” Booster doses are administered to re-strengthen immunity against the COVID-19 virus.

If you are age 18 or older and received an additional dose of the Moderna vaccine, or age 12 years or older and received an additional dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, you are eligible for boosters.

View a full breakdown of first and second boosters.