COVID-19 Updates (Week of 11/01/2022)

COVID-19 Booster Updates

Booster Shots are currently available for adults 65+ years old and for certain at-risk individuals age 18+, including healthcare workers, who completed their primary series at least 6 months ago with Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.

All Johnson & Johnson recipients age 18+ are eligible for a booster shot as long as it’s been at least 2 months since their first dose.

Anyone who is eligible for a booster shot may receive the same vaccine or a different one if they prefer. For example, those who received Pfizer for their first two shots may receive Moderna as their booster.

Read FDA Press Release

FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Pfizer Vaccine for Kids Ages 5 to 11

The FDA’s independent panel of advisers recommended last week that the agency issue an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children 5 to 11 years old. Pfizer's data reports that the vaccine is safe and 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in this age group. Read more from NPR.

Fourth COVID-19 Shot May Be Needed for Immunocompromised

"People with certain health conditions that make them moderately or severely immunocompromised may get a fourth mRNA COVID-19 shot, according to updated guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC authorized a third dose for certain immunocompromised people 18 and older in August. It said a third dose, rather than a booster -- the CDC makes a distinction between the two -- was necessary because the immunocompromised may not have had a complete immune response from the first two doses," CNN reports.