DHS Recommends COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose for Everyone Ages 12 and Older

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that 12- to 15-year-olds should receive a single booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. DHS also supports CDC’s recommendations to shorten the booster interval from 6 months to 5 months for people who received the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and that moderately or severely immunocompromised 5- to 11-year-olds receive an additional primary dose of vaccine 28 days after their second shot.

“The approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for 12- to 15-year-olds provides another opportunity for more Wisconsinites to get additional protection from COVID-19 and the Omicron variant,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “Being fully vaccinated and getting a booster dose is the best protection for preventing the worst outcomes from COVID-19. We encourage everyone ages 12 and older to join the more than 1.6 million Wisconsinites who have already gotten their booster or additional COVID-19 vaccine dose.”

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is the only one recommended for 12- to 17-year-olds at this time.

DHS is also recommending the Pfizer and Moderna boosters five months after completion of initial vaccination for everyone ages 12 and older. The booster interval recommendation for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (2 months) has not changed. Additionally, DHS is recommending a third Pfizer primary series dose for certain immunocompromised children 5 through 11 years of age.

“Receiving a booster vaccination at five months rather than six months after initial vaccination may offer better protection sooner for individuals against the highly transmissible Omicron variant,” said Stephanie Schauer, Ph.D., Division of Public Health Immunization Program Manager. “The latest research also indicates that children 5 through 11 years of age who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, receive maximum benefit when they receive a third primary series dose.”

With the record high-level of disease transmission in Wisconsin, DHS strongly recommends that everyone who is eligible to get a booster should get one as soon as possible. The booster dose can strengthen and extend their protection against infection, serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.

To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider in your community, visit Vaccines.gov, or call 211 or 877-947-2211. For additional information about booster doses, additional doses, and help accessing your COVID-19 vaccine record to determine when you may be recommended for a booster, visit the DHS Additional Doses and Booster Doses webpage.

For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. You can also follow @DHSWI on Facebook(link is external), Twitter(link is external), or dhs.wi on Instagram(link is external) for more information on COVID-19.