People over age 50 or age 12 and older with with certain immune deficiencies should get another Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

In addition, DOH recommends a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least four months ago, according to a department news release.

The new booster should be an mRNA vaccine, meaning Pfizer or Moderna instead of Johnson & Johnson, and should come at least four months after the initial booster. It’s meant to decrease the chances of coming severely ill from COVID.

These recommendations are in alignment with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authorization of a second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or  Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for older people and certain immunocompromised individuals.

“Vaccines and boosters are both safe and free. The data clearly demonstrates that COVID-19 vaccine and booster doses protect individuals from both infection and severe outcomes,” said Acting Department of Health Secretary Dr. David R. Scrase. “Anyone eligible should seriously consider getting an additional mRNA booster to further increase their protection. This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time.”

Individuals who have had COVID-19 are advised to stay up-to-date with the recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Unvaccinated individuals or vaccinated individuals with breakthrough cases recovering from COVID-19 are eligible for vaccine after their isolation period of ten days is over and their symptoms have resolved.

Appointments can be scheduled with a local pharmacy, a doctor’s office and many community providers. To schedule an appointment online, visit www.vaccineNM.org. For help scheduling an appointment, call 1-855-600-3453 and pick option 3 for English and option 9 for Spanish.