The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
A COVID-19 booster shot which specifically targets two subvariants of the coronavirus which have proven more resistant to the original vaccine will soon be available.
On a vote of 13-1 on September 1, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) passed the recommendation of a "bivalent" vaccine that prevents or greatly hinders transmission of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and its BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
With that result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the ACIP's vote, and the newly-revamped boosters will make their way to public health offices, hospitals and pharmacies throughout the country.
The booster is only available to those persons who have completed a two-shot primary vaccination series, and can be received no less than two months following receipt of the primary series or a previous booster dose.
According to CDC vaccine experts, anyone who has recently contracted COVID-19 is advised to hold off on getting the booster for at least three months, as the body's immune response can protect against reinfection during that time frame.
No vaccine is 100 percent effective in preventing COVID-19, but CDC data shows that those who have gotten one or more booster shots have just a 0.024 percent hospitalization rate, and 0.014% for people under age 50.
Foster County Public Health will be receiving their first quantities of a limited shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which can be given to anyone 12 years of age and older. For those who wish to be administered with the Moderna vaccine, the cutoff is 18 and older.
Public Health Director/RN Lisa Hilbert says that those who are 65 years of age and older, or whom reside in long-term care facilities, will have priority for these booster doses, and subsequent shots can be distributed when they are available.
To schedule an appointment, call Foster County Public Health at 652-3087.
Central Pharmacy and Carrington Drug will also be getting shipments of the new boosters as well. Call 652-2651 (Central Pharmacy) or 652-2521 (Carrington Drug) with questions, or to schedule a vaccination.
