Pharmacies Prepare to Offer Additional Booster Doses
The Food and Drug Administration last week approved a fourth dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for people ages 50 and older or those who are immunocompromised at least four months after their previous booster.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 vaccine guidance in accordance with the FDA authorization soon after, the Dallas Morning News reported.
North Texas pharmacies and health departments are preparing to give additional COVID-19 vaccine boosters to eligible patients.
Walgreens is already offering walk-in appointments for the extra shot, and patients will be able to schedule appointments beginning Friday, the company announced Wednesday.
CVS said, “eligible patients will soon be able to schedule an additional dose four months after a patient’s initial booster dose,” although the exact date when patients will be able to make such appointments has not been released, the newspaper reported.
Less than 40% of fully vaccinated Texans have received a booster dose, though, according to Texas Department of State Health Services data.
“I’m sure there will be some [people who get a fourth dose], but we still have a lot of people who have not received the first course of the vaccine or the first booster. I think the biggest priority for those people who have not received any of the doses is to get caught up,” said Dallas County Health and Human Services department director Dr. Philip Huang as they, as well, are gearing up to offer additional doses.
Dallas County is projected to see around 100 new COVID infections per day for the next several weeks, according to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s latest COVID forecasting.
BA.2, a highly contagious sub-lineage of the original omicron variant, is picking up speed in the U.S. and around the world.
For more, read the Dallas Morning News here.
In Other News:
– Dallas County closing several COVID vaccine, testing sites. Read more from the Dallas Morning News here.
– Doctors and researchers are investigating to what extent COVID-19 infections boost risk of stroke. Read more from the Dallas Morning News here.
