How Long After COVID Can You Get the Updated COVID Vaccine?

If you’ve been infected with COVID-19, you might think that you no longer need the latest vaccine. Especially if you’ve had a COVID vaccine in the past. But immunity to COVID doesn’t last forever. You can get infected with COVID again, especially when new variants are circulating. 

The updated COVID vaccine isn’t technically a booster. That’s because COVID vaccine is reformulated each year to better match circulating variants — similar to how flu vaccines are updated.  

Research shows that the COVID vaccine offers important protection even after a COVID illness. But COVID vaccine guidance has shifted over time as the virus has changed. Here’s how to decide on the best time to get vaccinated after a COVID infection.

Do you need to get the updated COVID vaccine if you’ve recently had COVID?

Often, yes — especially if you’re at higher risk for severe illness. While it’s true that getting COVID means you have a lower chance of severe illness and hospitalization from COVID in the future, that immunity doesn’t provide total protection. 

The strongest protection against COVID comes from having hybrid immunity. That’s the combination of: 

• Natural protection (from having had a COVID infection) 

• Vaccine-induced protection 

So, your chances of getting sick again with COVID are lowest if: 

• You’ve had COVID in the past. 

• And you’re up-to-date with the latest COVID vaccine. 

Each COVID infection carries some risk of post-COVID conditions, especially after more severe illness. Staying up-to-date with vaccination may lower those risks.

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How long can immunity last after a COVID infection?

It depends. Earlier in the pandemic, infection-related immunity lasted longer. With newer variants, protection against reinfection fades faster, meaning it’s likely you’ll catch COVID again. 

It’s hard to say exactly how long immunity lasts if you get a COVID infection now. That’s because studies looking at immunity can take a year to run and publish. So even the latest studies are based on immunity from older strains. 

The data is even more complicated if there are different strains circulating at the same time. That’s because infection with one strain might not protect you against infection with another strain. In that case, you could get sick with COVID as quickly as 1 month after having had a different strain.

But even though immunity against repeat COVID infection is lower with newer COVID strains, protection against severe disease tends to last longer than protection against infection itself. So, if you do get COVID from a new strain circulating, you’ll have a better chance of not being seriously ill if you’ve gotten the last COVID vaccine.

How long after testing positive for COVID should you wait to get a booster vaccine?

After you test positive for COVID, it’s safe to get the updated COVID vaccine once you’re no longer contagious. Most people are contagious for about a week. But in general, you’re unlikely to be contagious if you meet the following three criteria:

1. It has been over 10 days since your infection started.

2. It has been at least 24 hours since you last had a fever.

3. Your symptoms feel like they’re getting better overall.

But it doesn’t mean you need to rush to get your vaccine as soon as you get over your infection. You can wait up to 3 months to get the updated vaccine. But not everyone should wait this long. 

You may want to get vaccinated sooner if:

• You’re at high risk for a more severe infection.

• You’re in close contact with someone who’s at risk for more severe infection.

• There has been a spike in COVID cases in your community.

• There are new variants circulating.

To help figure out what timing is best for you, discuss yoru vaccination options with a healthcare professional you trust about.

What are the benefits of getting the COVID vaccine?

The COVID vaccine is a safe and effective way to lower the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID. No vaccine is 100% effective. But people who stay up-to-date on their COVID vaccinations are less likely to get infected. 

Additional benefits of getting the vaccine include:

• Less severe disease: People who’ve been recently vaccinated are much less likely to develop serious COVID illness. That means they’re much less likely to end up in the hospital or die from COVID complications compared to people who haven’t been vaccinated.

• Lowering the risk of long COVID: Some studies suggest vaccination may make it less likely you develop long COVID in the future, particularly by reducing the severity of illness. 

• Longer-lasting immunity: If you’ve had COVID this season, getting the COVID vaccine can make your natural immunity last longer.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP

Karen Hovav, MD, FAAP, has more than 15 years of experience as an attending pediatrician. She has worked in a large academic center in an urban city, a small community hospital, a private practice, and an urgent care clinic.

Edited by:

Sophie Vergnaud, MD

Sophie Vergnaud, MD, is the Senior Medical Director for GoodRx Health. A pulmonologist and hospitalist, she practiced and taught clinical medicine at hospitals in London for a decade before entering a career in health education and technology.

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