Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines

Who needs a COVID-19 vaccine

Importance of staying up to date

• Getting the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine is important because:
  • Protection from the COVID-19 vaccine decreases with time.
  • Immunity after COVID-19 infection decreases with time.
  • COVID-19 vaccines are updated to give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains.

• Getting the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine is especially important if you:
  • Never received a COVID-19 vaccine
  • Are ages 65 years and older
  • Are at high risk for severe COVID-19
  • Are living in a long-term care facility
  • Are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future.
  • Want to lower your risk of getting Long COVID

When are you up to date?

CDC recommends a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 6 months and older based on individual-based decision-making.

People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised

There are different recommendations if you are moderately or severely immunocompromised; see Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People.

People who recently had COVID-19

• If you recently had COVID-19, you may delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine for 3 months after symptoms started OR after receiving a positive test with no symptoms

• The risk of getting COVID-19 is less likely in the weeks to months following a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

• Certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as:
  • Personal risk of severe COVID-19
  • Risk of severe COVID-19 in a family or household member or other close contact
  • Local levels of COVID-19 illness

Available COVID-19 Vaccines

Three vaccines are available for use in the United States. There is no preference for one vaccine over the other when more than one vaccine is recommended for an age group.

• The 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccines are updated to give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains.