A: Yes, there is a handy on-line tool that can tell you whether you are eligible for a booster based on your age, doses you’ve already received, and whether you are immunocompromised.
TL: DR: Visit https://bit.ly/3Ebthkt, answer a few questions, and find out if you are eligible for the new bivalent COVID-19 booster (which targets both the original SARS-COV-2 virus AND the omicron variant).
We get it, it is hard to keep up with the recommendations for timing of boosters, which brands and versions are available and for what ages, etc.
The short answer is if you are 5+ years old, and it has been more than 2 months since your last dose (either primary series or original booster), you are eligible for the new bivalent booster. Kids < 5 years old are not currently eligible for the bivalent booster, but should complete the primary series if they have not done so already. Anyone who has had COVID-19 recently, can wait up to 3 months for their next dose (primary series or updated booster), because you will have some immunity against reinfection for that period of time.
If you are still not sure if you are eligible for a booster, check out the on-line tool developed by the U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found on this page: https://bit.ly/3Ebthkt. Scroll down to the section on “Find Out When You Can Get Your Booster”, and answer a few questions to determine if you are eligible to get the updated bivalent booster at this time.
For more on the CDC recommendation for boosters for those 5+, see here: https://dearpandemic.org/updated-boosters-down-to-age-5/
If you are wondering if kids (and adults) really need to get vaccinated and boosted, see our past posts here:
https://dearpandemic.org/kids-need-covid-19-vaccines/
https://dearpandemic.org/covid-vaccine-kids/
https://dearpandemic.org/do-i-need-a-covid-19-booster/
