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The CDC director brought up a math equation in a press conference recently, one that a lot of parents have been doing in our heads ever since vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds first became available: No matter your age, if you want to be fully vaccinated for Christmas, Sat., Nov. 20 is your last chance to start a Pfizer vaccine series.
If you’re over 18, you have more time to procrastinate: the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single shot, so you could get it on Dec. 11 and still have time to be “fully vaccinated” two weeks later.
The ship has sailed for Moderna, if Christmas is your goal: It requires four weeks between shots, rather than three weeks. Still, if you start a course of Moderna now, you would be fully protected in time to ring in the new year.
Who needs to be vaccinated before a family get-together?
Now is a good time to check in about everyone’s vaccine protection, if you’re planning a get-together with multiple family members. A few things to remember:
One dose of a two-dose vaccine probably gives you more protection than if you weren’t vaccinated at all, but getting the full series is ideal. If you got a J&J vaccine, no matter your age or risk group, you should get a booster if it’s been at least two months since your first shot. If you have a weakened immune system for any reason, you should get a third dose (if you had a two-dose vaccine) four weeks after the second dose. If you got an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna), a booster is recommended after six months if you are over 65 or have other risk factors. (We have a breakdown of the recommendations here.)The only people left out of this plan are kids under age 5, so if you have little ones at home, it makes sense to take extra precautions. Getting everyone around them vaccinated will be a huge help. Besides that, go ahead and check out the CDC’s guidelines for how to stay safe around the holidays.
