Should people who have had COVID-19 illness be vaccinated?

Yes. Vaccination should be offered regardless of history of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Viral testing to assess for current SARS-CoV-2 infection or serologic testing to assess for prior infection for the purposes of vaccine decision-making is not recommended. However, as with all vaccines, vaccination should be deferred until after recovery from moderate to severe illness. In addition, to minimize the risk of exposing others to SARS-CoV-2 virus, vaccination of a person diagnosed with COVID-19 generally should be deferred until the person does not pose a risk of infection to others.

Although not required, people who recently had SARS-CoV-2 infection may consider delaying a 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine dose by up to 3 months from symptom onset or positive test (if infection was asymptomatic). Among vaccine recipients at increased risk of post-vaccination myocarditis (such as males age 12 through 39 years), an increased interval may reduce the rare risk of myocarditis after vaccination. A recipient’s individual risks for severe disease and current COVID-19 conditions in the community should be taken into account when deciding whether to delay vaccination up to 3 months after infection.