A second bivalent booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines is available to adults 65 years of age and older as well as people who are immunocompromised and at high-risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. The American Medical Association (AMA) encourages everyone who is eligible to get their second booster dose.

Data demonstrates that the bivalent booster doses are highly effective, but the immunity wanes over time says the AMA. Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a second dose of the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for:

1) Individuals 65 years of age and older, four months after receiving their initial bivalent booster dose

“Currently there is no recommendation from the CDC about a third bivalent vaccine for those 65 and older, if they are not moderately or severely immunocompromised,” clarified Port of Harlem contributor Dr. Theo Hodge, Jr.

2) For immunocompromised individuals, at least two months after the initial bivalent dose.  Additional doses of the vaccine will be available to immunocompromised patients at the discretion of health professionals.

Many different vaccines have both monovalent and bivalent versions, including flu vaccines and COVID- 19 vaccines. A monovalent vaccine is a vaccine with one strain of a virus. A bivalent vaccine is a vaccine with two strains of a virus. The original monovalent COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have been discontinued in favor of the bivalent vaccine reports the CDC webpage.

To date, only 16.7% of the population has received a bivalent booster dose.  According to the National Institutes of Health, the bivalent shots were 37% more effective at preventing severe COVID-19 than the original boosters.

The boosters protect people and their loved ones from severe complications, hospitalization, and death. Anyone with questions about the vaccines should speak with their physician and review trusted resources, including the CDC’s website.