When to get the new Covid-19 vaccine to maximize your protection

A new Covid-19 vaccine is available — and recommended — for everyone ages 6 months and older, and experts say it’s best to take advantage of the protection it provides sooner rather than later.

The shot — greenlit by the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week — is different than previous versions, with a formulation that’s been updated to target newer variants of the virus that are currently circulating.

Those variants and their offshoots are already driving a wave of Covid-19 transmission,...