Mid-Missouri pharmacies giving newly authorized coronavirus booster shots
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Some local pharmacies have already started giving more coronavirus booster shots, hours after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized expanded use of the shots.
Hy-Vee said late Thursday that eligible individuals could get the COVID-19 booster shot from Moderna or Johnson & Johnson at the regional supermarket chain's locations in Mid-Missouri. Hy-Vee has locations in Columbia, Jefferson City and Osage Beach.
Booster vaccines will be available to all eligible people regardless of insurance coverage. Individuals can mix and match between getting a booster of Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky gave the green light Thursday for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots. Pfizer's booster had already been approved for certain high-risk groups. The CDC and Food and Drug Administration recommend a Moderna booster dose for the following Moderna vaccine recipients at least six months after their second vaccine:
- Long-term care facility residents
- People ages 65+
- People ages 18+ with underlying medical conditions,(as outlined by the CDC)
- People ages 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of an occupational or institutional setting
Jan Palmer is a Board Member at the Columbia Senior Center of Boone County got all three doses of Pfizer and is over 65. She says last October she had a mild case of Covid-19 and believes the vaccine is the best defense against herself and others.
"Well, for me, it was I wanted to stop the COVID. For me personally to stop it was to go on and get vaccinated, take all the precautions we could; I wore a mask for months," said Palmer.
She also got her flu shot and said she feels great. "I feel great. I feel like I'm protected. I do take precautions. I do the handwashing, you know. I do everything I can, but I want to be able to do my part," said Palmer.
Federal officials said the Pfizer and Moderna boosters should be taken at least six months after receiving a second dose of the two-dose vaccine. Those who originally received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine should wait two months.
Cecelia Davis is another board member over 65 and got her third dose of Pfizer a couple of weeks ago. She says she always believed in vaccines.
"I've done the flu vaccine for years ever since the early 90s, probably. So I believe in vaccines. I believe in it taking care of the things that our body won't take care of," said Davis.
Walensky told CNN the approval is another example of how the CDC is committed to keeping everyone safe.
"These recommendations are another example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19. The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe, as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given. And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating Delta variant," Walensky said in a statement.
Nearly 49% of Missourians are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. That number is just over 50% in Boone County and nearly 46% in Cole County. About 57% of Americans are fully vaccinated, the CDC reports.
Those booster shots will be available at federal pharmacy retailers. You can view the complete list of who those federal pharmacy retailers are here.
