Confused About Boosters? Here’s Some Advice

Depending on your age or conditions, you may be eligible for a second booster

By Jenn Fisher

NOTE: The following information was published June 13, 2022. For current information, please visit LVHN.org/vaccines.

Booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine have become a standard practice, but knowing when to get one and who is eligible for one is sometimes confusing.

If you’re 5 or older and completed your primary series of shots

Currently, COVID-19 booster shots are available for adults and children age 5 and up under emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You can get a booster five months after completing your primary COVID-19 vaccine series of shots (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna), or two months after receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Janssen shot.

If you’re 50+ or 12+ and immunocompromised

A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be administered to people 50 and older, or adults 18 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised at least four months after the first booster. For children 12-17 who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may be given as a second booster dose at least four months after the first booster.

How do I know if I can get a booster or second booster?

As vaccination and booster options continue to evolve, the most-current information about booster eligibility can be found on the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters page. Check that site to understand if enough months have passed since your initial COVID-19 shot series, since the timing for a first or second booster is different.

Where to get your COVID-19 booster

COVID-19 vaccine appointments are required at LVHN COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Hazleton, Pottsville and East Stroudsburg, as well as at the COVID-19 Drive-Through Vaccination Clinic–Emrick Blvd. in Bethlehem. Appointments and walk-in visits are available at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Hecktown Oaks and LVHN COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic–MacArthur Road.

Bring your COVID-19 vaccination card, so it can be updated with information about the date and type of vaccine you received.

Here’s how to schedule a vaccine or booster appointment at LVHN

Schedule on MyLVHN, our patient portal, for first vaccinations, booster shots and third shots.
Call our COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at 833-584-6283 (833-LVHN-CVD). COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.