Raleigh, N.C. — Wake County health leaders announced Wednesday they plan to offer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to anyone who wants them by the end of September. Currently, the county is only offering boosters to those with severely weakened immune systems.
Health experts said in order to get a booster shot, you should wait 8 months after you completed your initial vaccination. In a press release, Wake County health leaders said staff would find an individual's vaccination record in the NC COVID Vaccine Management System to make sure they've received both doses of either Pfizer or Moderna. Individuals can also bring their vaccination card.
After verifying which vaccine someone has received, individuals will be asked to "attest or declare that you are immunocompromised by signing a digital form," according to a press release from the county's health department.
Transplant recipient Rodney Cook said the moment the booster shot become available, he wanted one but it wasn't so easy.
"I called the Walgreens here, and they didn't have authorization yet," explained Cook.
Cook, who fits in to the current eligibility bracket of those with severely weakened immune systems, was able to get the booster shot while on vacation.
"In Carolina Beach at Walgreens," said Cook.
While availability may have lagged at Cook’s local Walgreens, Wake County officials says they are administering booster shots to the immunocompromised with ease.
"On any given day, we see up to 100 or 120 people coming in for booster shots," said Dr. Jason Wittes, the director of pharmacy for Wake County.
Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends the third dose for:
- Cancer patients undergoing active treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.
- Organ transplant recipients who are taking medicine to suppress their immune systems.
- Anyone with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency.
- Anyone with advanced or an untreated HIV infection.
- Anyone receiving high-dose corticosteroid or other drugs that may suppress their immune response.
But, when the time comes, Wittes said the county will have no problems meeting the need of administering booster shoots to all.
"[It's] probably going live Sept. 20," said Wittes. "We are waiting for further guidance and guidelines for how that rollout is going to be."
Only people who have received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will be eligible for a booster shot, and they must receive the same shot they were previously were given.
However, a booster shot could soon be approved for the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. New research shows booster shots of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine generated a spike in antibodies against the virus. In a statement on Wednesday, Johnson and Johnson said 2,000 people involved in studies in Europe and the United States got the booster shot six months after their first dose
"There was a nine-fold increase in antibody response to a booster dose," said Wittes.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine differs from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine because it uses a crippled common cold virus, called an adenovirus, to carry instructions to the body to start an immune response. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use mRNA to carry the instructions.
CNN reports health officials previously raised concerns that a Johnson and Johnson booster possibly might not work as effectively because the body would generate a greater immune response to the vector.
But now, health officials have said a booster dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine will be needed at some point.
Wittes said the data is great news for the over 250,000 North Carolinians who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
"We are definitely going to see data in the coming weeks," said Wittes.
"Our call center has received those requests [for a booster shot] but it's not just for Johnson and Johnson. It's also for people who are not immunocompromised but wanted an additional dose or booster at this time." said Wittes.
While the booster dose for Pfizer and Moderna will be available for all on Sept. 20, Wittes said that once the Johnson and Johnson booster is approved, it will also be available.
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