Hawaii Expands Booster Shot Eligibility

The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is adopting the most recent COVID-19 booster shot recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Effective immediately:

•             DOH recommends a single Pfizer-BioNTech (Pfizer) vaccine booster shot for everyone ages 12 – 17 who completed their primary vaccine series at least five months ago.

•             People 18 and older who completed their primary series of Pfizer vaccine at least five months ago should get an mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) booster.

•             Moderately to severely immunocompromised children ages 5-11 should get an additional dose of the Pfizer vaccine 28 days after their second shot.

“It is important all people covered by these new recommendations take advantage of the extra layer of protection that booster shots provide. They ramp up the level of your neutralizing antibodies tremendously,” said State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP.

The booster interval recommendation for people who received the J&J vaccine (2 months) or the Moderna vaccine (6 months), has not changed.

Only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for children aged 5-11.

Vaccination and testing options are available at hawaiicovid19.com