DHS Recommends COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Doses to Everyone 5 and Older

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that children ages 5-11 should receive a booster dose five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech (Pfizer) COVID-19 vaccination series. With this recommendation, DHS and CDC now recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster doses to everyone five and older. The CDC also recently strengthened another booster recommendation, encouraging people 12 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, and people 50 and older to get a second COVID-19 booster dose.

“The recommendation of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for 5-11-year-olds provides parents with an excellent opportunity to ensure their children receive additional protection from COVID-19 prior to summer activities,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “We encourage everyone five and older to join the more than two million Wisconsinites who have already gotten their boosters or additional COVID-19 vaccine doses. Staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines is the best protection for preventing the worst outcomes from this virus.”

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine authorized and recommended for 5-17-year-olds for the primary series and booster doses at this time. DHS strongly recommends that everyone who is eligible to get a booster should get one as soon as possible. Booster doses can strengthen and extend protection against infection, serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.

“Clinical research demonstrated that a third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine given after the second dose to children ages 5-11 helps give added protection against COVID-19, including infections from Omicron,” said Stephanie Schauer, Ph.D., Division of Public Health Immunization Program Manager. 

Anyone in Wisconsin can get vaccinated at no cost – even if they do not have insurance or their insurance does not cover COVID-19 vaccination. To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider in your community, visit Vaccines.gov, or call 211 or 877-947-2211. For additional information about booster doses, additional doses, and help accessing your COVID-19 vaccine record to determine when you may be recommended for a booster, visit the DHS Boosters & Staying Up to Date with Your Vaccines webpage.

For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. We encourage you to follow @DHSWI on Facebook, Twitter, or dhs.wi on Instagram for more information on COVID-19.