Question: When can a person who just recovered from COVID-19 safely get the updated vaccine?
Answer: If a patient recently had COVID, recovered, and currently has no symptoms the COVID-19 vaccination may be given. The CDC recommends that anyone who is at high risk for reinfection with COVID or at high risk for severe COVID disease be vaccinated as soon as clinically reasonable after COVID-19 infection/recovery.
If a patient in long-term care recently recovered and is back to baseline status, that person can be vaccinated.
If a patient who recently recovered from COVID would like to wait 1, 2, or even 3 months until they are vaccinated, that is also justifiable.
- Do not give a COVID-19 vaccine to a patient that is currently ill with COVID.
- Do not give any vaccine to a patient that is currently ill with any respiratory viral or bacterial infection.
- You may delay COVID vaccination for up to 3 months after recovery from COVID
- You may also give the COVID vaccine within the 3 months after recovery and not wait for 3 months if the patient is feeling well and has risk factors for severe disease or exposure to COVID-19
Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination | CDC
