COVID-19 Vaccine: Updates for Higher Education

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Bivalent Boosters

Minnesota health care providers have begun administering updated COVID-19 booster shots that have been formulated to be more effective against the Omicron variants.

The bivalent boosters—one from Pfizer and one from Moderna—were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday, August 31 and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on September 1. In case you missed it, CDC’s media statement from Thursday, Sept. 1 includes some basic information on the update: CDC Recommends the First Updated COVID-19 Booster.

When they were announced, we sent you details about transitioning from the monovalent boosters to the new bivalent boosters. We also shared bivalent information on the monthly Higher Ed call on Sept. 7. Today we're sending the information below to help you promote the boosters to your community members. 

Booster Basics

People age 12 and older are now recommended to get an updated bivalent booster dose at least 2 months after their last COVID-19 shot. That means the bivalent booster may be given after a person’s primary series or after their last booster shot.

• The updated Pfizer booster is authorized for people age 12 and older.
• The updated Moderna booster is authorized for people age 18 and older.

The updated COVID-19 boosters can both help restore protection that has decreased since previous vaccination and provide broader protection against newer variants. The COVID-19 vaccines and the updated booster are safe and help protect people from getting very sick with COVID-19.  

Remember, even if you’ve already had COVID-19, you should get vaccinated.

Where to get a bivalent booster

• Check with your regular health care provider or local pharmacy to see if appointments are available.
• Use the state’s Find Vaccine Locations map to find vaccine providers near you—providers will update their information as appointments are available.
• Minnesotans can make appointments at the state-run vaccination site at the Mall of America now: https://my.primary.health/r/vaxmn?registration_type=general_public.
• Minnesotans can also make appointments at the state-run vaccination site in Duluth now: https://my.primary.health/r/decc_vax_mn?registration_type=general_public.
• More information on appointments at state-run vaccination sites in Rochester and Moorhead will be coming soon.
• Check for vaccine appointments at at Vaccines.gov, where you can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
• More vaccination clinics will be offered at other community locations around Minnesota.

Updated Vaccine Webpages

Web content on the following pages has been updated to reflect who is eligible for updated (bivalent) boosters. Additional materials are in the process of being updated and we’ll share information as things become available. 

About COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots

COVID-19 Vaccine for Children and Teens (Updated translations are in process)

Vaccine Orders

If you have questions regarding COVID-19 vaccine ordering or distribution, please contact our Vaccine Distribution Operations team at health.mdhvaccine@state.mn.us.

• The order event for Moderna and Pfizer bivalent vaccine boosters is now open in MIIC. It will continue to be open every week moving forward.

• Ordering event structures will be changed starting the week of Sept. 12 to differentiate between monovalent and bivalent vaccines instead of by age group.
• The MDH Vaccine Distribution Team may be able to work with you to set up and maintain connections with local public health (LPH) or other organizations to receive doses via redistribution as doses are available.

Vaccine Outreach: Talking Points

Use these messages on the updated bivalent boosters to encourage your community members to get their boosters or start their primary vaccine series.

• People age 12 and older are now recommended to get an updated bivalent booster dose at least 2 months after their last COVID-19 shot. That means the bivalent booster may be given after a person’s primary series or after their last booster shot.
• The updated Pfizer booster is authorized for people age 12 and older. The updated Moderna booster is authorized for people age 18 and older.
• Everyone who is eligible—including those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised—are recommended to receive 1 dose of the updated vaccine.
• The updated bivalent booster helps protect against the original COVID-19 strain that has been in the vaccines as well as against newer Omicron variants that are circulating.
• Updated COVID-19 boosters can both help restore protection that has decreased since previous vaccination and provide broader protection against newer variants.
• The COVID-19 vaccines and the updated booster are safe and help protect people from getting very sick with COVID-19.
• People can get COVID-19 vaccines, including updated boosters, at the same visit as other vaccines, such as flu vaccine.
• Even if you’ve already had COVID-19, you should get vaccinated.

CDC recommends everyone get and stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination. This means everyone:

• Age 6 months through 4 years should get all COVID-19 primary series doses.
• Age 5 years and older should get all COVID-19 primary series doses, plus the most recent booster dose recommended for them.

Vaccinator Partners

Local Public Health and Pharmacies

Local public health agencies (LPH) will be vaccinating in each of the eight LPH regions across the state. Reach out to your LPH office to ask if and when they will be providing the boosters. Email the MDH Higher Ed team for your LPH contact information.

As we mentioned this summer, reach out to the vaccinators you've worked with in the past about providing bivalent boosters to your school or campus. We expect the majority of pharmacy and health care vaccinators will be ready to go by the week of Sept. 12.

The bivalent booster is a welcome addition to the tools we have against COVID-19, we encourage people to get their booster when they are due, especially as we head into fall and the holiday season, a time when we've seen surges in the past. 

Share Your Feedback

If you have suggestions for additional COVID-19 information that will support your school's response, or if you have questions about the content above, send us an email by clicking the green button below. 

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