Health Conditions A-Z Infectious Diseases COVID-19 How Long Should You Wait After Having COVID-19 To Get a Booster? By Lambeth Hochwald Lambeth Hochwald Lambeth Hochwald is a believer that everyone has a story to tell. As a New York City-based journalist, she has been busily covering COVID-19 and its effects on everyone from college students and their parents to restaurant workers and ER doctors. Over the last few decades, she's written for the New York Post, CNN, Parade, WebMD, Millie, Reside, the Food Network, Delish, and Architectural Digest, always with the same mandate to be compassionate, hence the hashtag #compassionatejournalism that she includes in her email auto-signature. When she's not juggling assignments, she's helping to teach the next generation of journalists in her role as an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. health's editorial guidelines Updated on December 1, 2024 Medically reviewed by Femi Aremu, PharmD Medically reviewed by Femi Aremu, PharmD Femi Aremu, PharmD, is a Drug Information Pharmacist for Red Ventures and practiced in a COVID-19 clinic for the University of Chicago Medicine. learn more Close d3sign / Getty Images You might wonder how long after you have contracted COVID-19 you can get a booster. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises that you receive a booster dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine within three months of a COVID infection but that you wait until you're no longer sick. The CDC says that everyone aged 5 and older should get one dose of the most up-to-date Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, even if you've just had COVID. The virus is constantly evolving, with stronger variants that are better able to evade the effects of the vaccine. Scientists update the vaccine to help protect against these variants. Why Do You Need a Booster? The National Institutes of Health (NIH) advises getting a booster to help protect you against evolving strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, even if you previously had COVID. SARS-CoV-2 has evolved to produce many variants since the COVID pandemic began. The Omicron variant, for example, became the dominant variant in November 2021. There are several Omicron subvariants, and experts say the virus will continue to evolve. Staying up-to-date with COVID vaccines, including boosters, helps protect you against new subvariants. The CDC notes that people who previously had COVID and don't receive a booster are likelier to become reinfected than others. Everyone older than 6 months may receive COVID vaccines, including a booster dose. What kind and when you need a booster depends on the initial vaccination series and how long it's been since your last dose. Your age and health status may also play a role. Here's how many booster doses you need to stay up-to-date: Children aged 6 months to 4 years: May need multiple doses, depending on how many and what kind (e.g., Moderna or Pfizer) they have received People aged 5 to 11 years: One dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine People aged 12 years and older: One dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the Novavax vaccine unless you've never received a COVID vaccine People with a weak immune system: Eligible for additional doses of vaccines How Long After COVID-19 Can You Get a Booster? The CDC advises that you wait to get a booster until after your isolation period ends. You risk spreading COVID to healthcare providers and others if you seek a booster while you're contagious. The CDC has previously urged people to isolate for at least five days if they test positive for COVID, with day 0 being when your symptoms begin. As of September 2024, you can end your isolation period if your symptoms are improving and you don't have a fever for 24 hours. It's important to avoid others who may get very sick from COVID and wear a high-quality mask while you're recovering. When Is the Best Time To Get a Booster? The CDC says people who previously had COVID should receive a booster within three months after infection for the best protection. You don't need to wait 90 days to receive a vaccine or booster if you had monoclonal antibody treatment. People are unlikely to get reinfected right away. A study published in 2021 noted that the risk of getting another COVID infection within 90 days is exceedingly low. That's because people develop antibodies to help fight off the virus. Consider getting a booster as soon as possible after a COVID infection if you: Have a risk of severe illness from COVIDHave a close contact or loved one with a high risk of severe illness from COVIDLive in an area with a high COVID hospital admission level What Are the Benefits? The CDC urges everyone to stay up-to-date with COVID vaccines, which reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Scientists say that staying up-to-date with COVID vaccines, including boosters, helps protect you against emerging variants. Boosters are a "more reliable means of offering longer-term protection" than natural immunity, Jonathan Li, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, told Health. "We just don't know how well that recent infection is going to protect that individual against subsequent infection, whereas a booster is standardized." A study published in 2022 found that previous infection protected people 46.1% against the Omicron subvariant BA.2. This protection increased to 77.3% among those who had previous infection and three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. A Quick Review The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve and produce new variants that may cause COVID reinfection. It's essential to keep up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, even if you've previously tested positive. Vaccination helps protect you against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. People who previously had COVID and don't receive a vaccine or booster within three months after infection are more likely to be infected again than others. Consult a healthcare provider about receiving a booster dose if it's been three months since you've had COVID. Frequently Asked Questions Am I still contagious after seven days of COVID-19? You're most likely contagious during the first five days after your symptoms begin with mild illness or 10 days with moderate or severe illness. Some evidence suggests that rapid antigen tests don't detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus after nine days. Can I get a booster and flu shot at same time? The CDC says it's safe to get COVID and flu vaccines at the same time. One vaccine will not affect how your body develops protection from the other. The possible side effects of vaccination, including headache and muscle pain, are the same whether you get both vaccines at the same time or not. How long does immunity last after having COVID-19? Some evidence suggests that immunity can persist for as long as eight months after asymptomatic or mild COVID infection. Keep in mind that more research is needed to confirm this finding. Some people may have shorter or longer periods of immunity. Updated by Karen Pallarito Karen Pallarito Karen is a senior editor at Health, where she produces health condition “explainers” backed by current science. learn more Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit 16 Sources Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 vaccine frequently asked questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. KP.3.1.1 is the predominant variant as COVID-19 activity increases. National Institutes of Health. Booster vaccine targeting Omicron offers broader COVID-19 protection. National Institutes of Health. COVID-19 vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccines for moderately to severely immunocompromised people. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Isolation and precautions for people with COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Respiratory virus guidance update frequently asked questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting your COVID-19 vaccine. Harvey RA, Rassen JA, Kabelac CA, et al. Association of SARS-CoV-2 seropositive antibody test with risk of future infection. JAMA Intern Med. 2021;181(5):672-679. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.0366 Zanwar PP, Sasson C, Heyn PC, et al. The COVID-19 vaccine: Why should I get the vaccines and the boosters? Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2023;104(5):843-846. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2022.10.016 Altarawneh HN, Chemaitelly H, Ayoub HH, et al. Effects of previous infection and vaccination on symptomatic Omicron infections. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(1):21-34. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2203965 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination. Cevik M, Tate M, Lloyd O, et al. SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV viral load dynamics, duration of viral shedding, and infectiousness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Microbe. 2021;2(1):e13-e22. doi:10.1016/S2666-5247(20)30172-5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Possible side effects after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Choe PG, Kim KH, Kang CK, et al. Antibody responses 8 months after asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021;27(3):928-931. doi:10.3201/eid2703.204543