About the Vaccines
As of 23 August, 2021; the FDA formally licensed the Pfizer-BioNTech COMIRNATY® COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA-approved COMIRNATY® vaccine is the same as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that was administered under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The vaccine is –
- approved to be administered in a two-dose series, 3 weeks apart, for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older.
- authorized under EUA to be administered to:
- prevent COVID-19 in individuals 5 years of age and older.
- provide a third dose at least 4 weeks after the second to immunocompromised individuals 5 years of age and older.
- provide a single booster dose for individuals 12 years of age and older at least five months after completing a primary series of the vaccine.
- provide a second booster dose to individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
- provide a second booster dose to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are living with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.
As of 31 January, 2022; the FDA formally licensed the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA-approved Spikevax vaccine is the same as the Moderna vaccine that was administered under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The vaccine is –
- approved to be administered in a two-dose series, 4 weeks apart, for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older.
- authorized under EUA to be administered to:
- provide a third dose at least 4 weeks after the second to immunocompromised individuals 18 years of age and older.
- provide a single booster dose for individuals 18 years of age and older at least five months after completing a primary series of the vaccine.
- provide a second booster dose to individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
- provide a second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered at least 4 months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older with with certain kinds of immunocompromise. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are living with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.
Additionally, the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine remains available under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) status.
The CDC recommends that everyone ages 5 years and older get their primary series of COVID-19 vaccine. Everyone ages 12 years and older is recommended to get a
booster shot
at 2 months after receiving a Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine or at least 5 months after completing their Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine primary series. Teens 12-17 years old can only get a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster. For adults 18 years and older, a booster dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) is preferred in most situations.
Following FDA's regulatory action, the CDC has updated its recommendations to allow certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 who received an initial booster dose at least 4 months ago to be eligible for another mRNA booster to increase their protection against severe disease from COVID-19. Separately and in addition, based on newly published data, adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
Eligibility When Not Otherwise Mandated
All DoD beneficiaries and other individuals who are eligible to receive vaccines and booster doses from DoD will be offered and are encouraged to receive the COVID-19 immunization in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines.
Military Health System (MHS) COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Center for Healthcare Personnel
Information and resources on the COVID-19 Vaccination Program from the Defense Health Agency Immunization Healthcare Division. This information is geared toward health care personnel in the DoD.
Click here to learn more
Communication Products and Educational Resources
Announcements
Building Vaccine Confidence
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Defense Health Agency COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit Use this digital toolkit to help you communicate with beneficiaries about the COVID-19 vaccine. The assorted print, digital, and social media graphics should be used locally to generate awareness among populations.
COVID-19 Products for Line Leadership from DHA
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Line Leader Presentation PPT
| Leaders across the Department can leverage this briefing deck to discuss COVID-19 vaccines with their troops. Don't forget to reference speaker notes and to personalize the title slide!
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Line Leader Presentation (PDF)
| This document is identical to the PowerPoint presentation for line leader reference and use.
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Presentation Companion
| Leaders and public affairs officers may reference this document. It can be shared with commands to support briefings, or distributed independently to share facts about COVID-19 vaccines.
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Reasons to Choose a COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet
| Leaders and public affairs officers can share this information across channels to continue the vaccine confidence conversation.
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Pre-vaccination
Vaccination
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Different Vaccines – Learn more about vaccine types, authorized and recommended vaccines, and vaccines currently in clinical trials.
Vaccine Safety
DoD is confident in the stringent regulatory processes and requirements of the FDA. Manufacturers are required to submit their raw data for the FDA to review. Safety, immune response, and efficacy data from the trial stages are submitted to the FDA before the vaccines are authorized for use and distribution. Per FDA requirements, DoD will be monitoring and tracking reports of vaccine side effects through various surveillance activities both internal and external to the DoD. Click here to learn more
Post-vaccination
General Resources
CDC SYNDICATED CONTENT
If you do not see CDC content below, click here or try a different browser.
