From the FDA Drug Label
- 1 Persons with Moderate or Severe Acute Illness Defer vaccination with PNEUMOVAX 23 in persons with moderate or severe acute illness.
The FDA drug label does not provide a specific time frame for revaccination with the pneumonia shot after being treated for pneumonia. However, it recommends deferring vaccination in persons with moderate or severe acute illness.
- Defer vaccination in persons with moderate or severe acute illness.
- No specific time frame is provided for revaccination after treatment for pneumonia 1.
From the Research
You should wait until you've fully recovered from pneumonia, typically at least a few weeks after completing treatment, before getting a pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine. If you've never been vaccinated against pneumonia before, you should discuss with your healthcare provider about getting the vaccine as part of your recovery plan. For adults 65 and older, the CDC recommends PCV20 (Prevnar 20) as a single dose, or alternatively, PCV15 followed by PPSV23 (Pneumovax 23) one year later, as supported by recent studies such as 2. If you've already received a pneumococcal vaccine in the past, the timing for revaccination depends on which vaccine you received, your age, and risk factors. Some key points to consider when deciding on revaccination timing include:
- The type of pneumonia you had
- Your age and risk factors
- The type of vaccine you previously received
- The current CDC recommendations, which are based on the latest evidence, including studies such as 3 and 2 Most healthy adults don't need frequent revaccination, and the pneumococcal vaccine works by stimulating your immune system to produce antibodies against the pneumococcal bacteria, which is why it's best to wait until your immune system has recovered from fighting the actual infection, as discussed in 4. Your healthcare provider can give you personalized guidance based on your specific medical history and the type of pneumonia you had.