Summer/Fall 2022 COVID Vaccine FAQs

Do the vaccines still work against Omicron/BA.2/BA.5?

• Yes, the vaccines are still extremely effective in preventing COVID-19 related hospitalization and death
• Unvaccinated people were 6x more likely to die of COVID than people who were fully vaccinated (2 shots)

Who is eligible for which shots?

• Everyone 6 months and older can get vaccinated
• Check out all possible COVID vaccination recommendations here

When can I get my shots? / I got my first dose 6 months ago- do I need to restart?

• You can get a second dose at any time as long as your first dose was more than 3 weeks ago (Pfizer) or 4 weeks ago (Moderna). Even if you got your first dose a year ago, you can get your second dose now. You do not need to “restart”.

When is the new Omicron specific shot coming out? Should I wait for that to get a booster?

• We don’t know for sure, but it is likely coming in September
• We cannot give exact guidance on whether or not to wait. It is a matter of your own personal risk tolerance when it comes to waiting or not

Why should I get vaccinated if I recently had COVID?

• The response your immune system learned from fighting your COVID infection may fade within several days-weeks after you recover, making you vulnerable to re-infection
• The COVID vaccines provide your immune system with a stronger COVID response for months after getting your shot compared to natural immunity

Why did I still get COVID even though I’m vaccinated?

• Unfortunately, breakthrough cases have become increasingly common as variants have become more infectious
• The vaccines aren’t a silver bullet that would eliminate COVID entirely- the goal of the vaccines is to keep people out of the hospital and dying from COVID-19

I don’t trust the vaccines because they haven’t been around long enough

• The science behind the vaccines is solid and has been in the works for decades
• The mRNA technology used to make the vaccines was specifically designed to allow us to respond more quickly to dangerous pandemics like COVID
• “No steps are skipped, it’s just a new technology that moves quicker, like moving from dial-up internet to fiberoptic cable.”
• More than 5.3 Billion people have been vaccinated all over the world