The safety and effectiveness of the vaccines are rigorously monitored, with hundreds of millions of people in the United States having received COVID-19 vaccines. The safety of these vaccines has been continually evaluated since their emergency approval in December 2020. The manufacturing process for the updated 2023-2024 vaccines is similar to previous versions, ensuring reliability. Federal agencies, including the CDC and FDA, will persistently monitor the safety of these updated vaccines and share information with the public as it becomes available.

The updated vaccines for 2023-2024 anticipate annual adjustments similar to the flu vaccine. They offer protection against current variants, triggering a new immune response and specifically targeting the XBB line of the Ómicron variant, including recent strains of the virus such as EG.5 and BA.2.86. These vaccines can also restore protection that may have diminished over time.

Vaccination is recommended for people six months of age and older. Specific guidelines for different age groups are outlined below:

The children from 6 months to 4 years They need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be up to date, including at least 1 dose of the updated vaccine.

• Unvaccinated children should receive two or three doses of the updated vaccine, depending on the specific vaccine.
• Children who received COVID-19 vaccines before September 12, 2023, should receive one or two doses of the updated vaccine based on their previous vaccination history.

For people 5 years and older, one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine is recommended. Specific recommendations include:

• Children ages 5 to 11 who are unvaccinated or who previously received a COVID-19 vaccine before September 12, 2023, should receive 1 dose of the updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.
• Unvaccinated people ages 12 and older should receive 1 dose of the updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, or 2 doses of the updated Novavax vaccine.

Additionally, people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may receive additional doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccine, and consultation with a healthcare professional is recommended. If you have recently experienced COVID-19, it is necessary to stay up to date with vaccinations, although it is suggested to consider a 3-month delay in vaccination. The likelihood of reinfection decreases in the weeks to months following the initial infection. However, certain factors should be taken into account when deciding when to vaccinate, such as personal risk of severe illness, risk of illness in loved ones or close contacts, local levels of COVID-19 hospital admission, and the variant prevalence of COVID-19 that causes the disease.