Appointments for recently authorized bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots for younger children at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) COVID-19 vaccination clinics can be scheduled starting Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster for children as young as 5, to be given at least two months following completion of a primary series or prior booster. The federal agencies also authorized the Moderna bivalent COVID-19 booster for children as young as 6, though the Moderna bivalent booster is not provided for those under 18 at LVHN’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
Those previously infected with COVID-19 may choose to wait up to three months before getting a bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine, but at a minimum should be symptom-free and 10 days out from a positive COVID-19 test. A study published in November 2021 indicates that a longer interval following infection improved immune response to vaccination.