COVID-19 Vaccine Bivalent Update
Posted Nov. 1, 2022
Johns Hopkins Medicine has the bivalent COVID-19 booster.
As of October 12, the new COVID-19 booster recommendations for people ages 5 years and older is to receive 1 bivalent mRNA booster after completion of a monovalent primary series or previously received monovalent booster dose(s); these recommendations replace all prior booster recommendations for this age group.
- Recommendations for use of a bivalent Moderna booster dose in people ages 6–17 years
- Recommendations for use of a bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose in people ages 5–11 years
The CDC recommends a bivalent (containing components of both the original strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the omicron variant of the virus) COVID-19 booster for people ages 5 years and older. The bivalent vaccines, which offer better protection against COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant than the earlier, monovalent vaccines, have been authorized for use as a single booster dose administered at least two months after primary or booster vaccination. The monovalent COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be available for booster doses in patients over the age of 5. However, the monovalent vaccines will remain available for the primary vaccine series in all patients and for booster doses in patients younger than 5 years old.
Visit the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine and booster page for more details.
Ways to Get Your Vaccine or Booster
Find state and local vaccine resources. Some vaccination sites offer walk-up vaccinations. The State Center COVID Vaccine Location, a joint operation by University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine, is now open.
Safety Guidelines
Face masks are required to enter any of our care facilities and expected to be worn at all times, even if you are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. We will provide a mask if needed.
Neck gaiters, bandanas, masks with exhalation valves, or clear shield-like face masks are not permitted to be worn as face coverings at Johns Hopkins Medicine facilities.
Vaccine Locations
Mobile Clinic at Sacred Heart Church
Johns Hopkins Medicine operates a mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic open to our patients and community members ages 6 months and older. As of September 26, 2022, we will be offering the bivalent COVID-19 booster. No appointment is necessary. Please note the ages and vaccine brands in the table below. On Family Fridays our clinic vaccinates community members 6 months and older.
Sacred Heart Church, 600 S. Conkling St., Baltimore, Maryland
| Wednesdays | 4 - 7 p.m. | Ages 5 and older | Pfizer |
| Family Fridays | 4 - 7 p.m. | 6 months – 4 years | Moderna |
| Ages 5 and older | Pfizer |
A parent or guardian must accompany any individual under the age of 18 to the vaccine clinic and sign the COVID-19 vaccine consent form. Children ages 6 months –17 who do not have a signed consent form will not receive the COVID-19 vaccine or booster from Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Johns Hopkins Community Physicians
Select Johns Hopkins Community Physicians locations are offering vaccination appointments to their patients. Appointments can be scheduled via MyChart, or call 410-955-5000 for adults or 443-222-0485 for pediatrics.
Practices stock the Moderna vaccine for primary series. The brand for the bivalent booster varies by sites.
State Center COVID Vaccine Location
State Center at 300 West Preston Street, just north of the Mount Vernon neighborhood in Baltimore, is serving as a COVID vaccine location managed by the BCCFH - COVID Task Force, a joint operation by University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine.
This State Center location has taken the place of the Baltimore Convention Center location, which has now closed.
Visit umms.org/bccvaccine for details.
Make an Appointment
Schedule Online Using MyChart (Patients Only)
We are offering COVID-19 vaccines and boosters through some of our primary care practices and specialty clinics. Patients will be able to schedule vaccination and booster appointments using their MyChart accounts.
- Log into MyChart.
- Select “Visits” from the top left navigation bar, then click on “Schedule an Appointment.”
- Find the section titled “Tell us why you’re coming in.” Select “COVID-19 Vaccine.”
- Follow the prompts to select your vaccination location, date and time.
If you do not see any available appointments, please check again in the coming days. We will update MyChart as vaccine supply is made available.
Vaccine Availability
We recommend that everyone who is eligible get vaccinated and boosted with one of the currently authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer or Moderna. We view both as highly effective in preventing serious disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 (including disease caused by the very contagious delta and omicron variants of the coronavirus), and we believe that their benefits outweigh their risks.
At Johns Hopkins Medicine, we offer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines throughout our vaccine clinics.
Mix and Match
Individuals ages 5 and older can receive a COVID-19 booster or additional dose that is a different brand than their initial dose or doses. The CDC recommends that individuals age 5 or older receive either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for either a booster or additional dose.
Safety Measures
It takes at least two weeks beyond the second dose of vaccine for two-dose regimens and beyond vaccination for one-dose regimens for full protection to develop. Even after full vaccination and receiving a booster, infection prevention measures such as wearing a mask, physical distancing and frequent handwashing are still particularly important since you might be able to pick up the virus, carry it and give it to others. Learn more from our infographic, COVID-19 Vaccines: What You Need to Know.