HENDERSON — Booster shots for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have received final approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Booster shots for the Pfizer vaccine had been approved earlier.
Dr. Shauna Guthrie, medical director for Granville-Vance Public Health, said the department will begin offering the booster shots on Monday at both its Oxford and Henderson locations.
The FDA also authorized “mixing and matching” booster shots, Guthrie said. A single dose of any of the COVID-19 vaccines may be administered as a booster shot to individuals who completed their primary vaccination with a different vaccine.
However, the period between the original shots and the booster shot varies, depending on which shot was first received. A person may receive any of the three vaccines as a booster a minimum of six months after receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, Guthrie said. The wait period for a follow-up booster for the J&J vaccine is two months.
Booster shots are authorized for individuals 65 years of age and older, 18 through 64 years of age with high-risk factors, and 18 through 64 years of age with frequent exposure to the virus because of their occupation or work location.
Booster shots — or the original series for those who have not yet received them — are available at the Health Department from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. No appointment is needed.
The Health Department is still reaching out to the unvaccinated to get their shots, Guthrie said.
As of Oct. 15, just 70 percent of Granville County residents over the age of 12 had received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 66 percent were fully vaccinated.
In Vance County, 65 percent of those over the age of 12 had received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and 60 percent were fully vaccinated.
Booster shots went through a three-step process before being approved. First came approval by the Food and Drug Administration and then a review by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. That group’s recommendation was followed by a recommendation from the CDC director.
In a news release, acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., said, “As the pandemic continues to impact the country, science has shown that vaccination continues to be the safest and most effective way to prevent COVID-19, including the most serious consequences of the disease, such as hospitalization and death.”
In explaining the value of booster shots, she said, “The available data suggest waning immunity in some populations who are fully vaccinated. The availability of these authorized boosters is important for continued protection against COVID-19 disease.”
