On September 11, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that everyone over 6 months old get the updated vaccine, which will be available at no cost to most Americans. The vaccines provide protection against severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19. 

The FDA recommends waiting until two months after your last COVID-19 vaccine to get the updated booster.

Most insurance plans will cover the full cost of getting the vaccine. Many Americans can also access free vaccines from their local health centers; their city, state, tribe, or territory’s health department; or a pharmacy participating in the CDC’s Bridge Access Program.

A rise in respiratory viruses like COVID, flu, and RSV typically appears in the fall and winter. Vaccines are available for all three viruses and can help protect against severe illness and hospitalization.

The new vaccines target an Omicron subvariant called XBB.1.5, which was the most common strain of COVID for much of 2023. Other variants are now more common, but scientists think the updated vaccines will still provide strong protection against emerging strains of COVID.

While the CDC recommends the new vaccine for all Americans over 6 months old, it’s unclear how many people will get the booster. Only 17% of eligible Americans received the most recent booster.