STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK
PHOTO BY JOY PRUDEK
Booster shots of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are now available for Idahoans, along with the Pfizer boosters the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved last month.
For those who received the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago, the following groups are eligible for a booster dose:
- Those 65 and older
- Residents of long-term care facilities
- People 50-64 with underlying medical conditions
- People 18-49 with underlying medical conditions, based on individual benefit and risk
- People 18-64 at an increased risk of exposure and transmission due to the type of work they do (including teachers and healthcare workers) or because they live or work in an institutional setting.
Those who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at least two months ago and who are 18 and older are also eligible for booster shots. They may elect to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again or choose from the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Those who initially received Pfizer or Moderna vaccines may also choose a different vaccine for their booster shot, according to the CDC.
Booster shots are available at pharmacies, clinics and healthcare providers statewide.
Neither proof of eligibility or a prescription is required. All doses are free.
Consumers can visit https://www.vaccines.gov/search/ to find COVID-19 vaccine locations near their home.
The CDC’s final recommendations are available at https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p1021-covid-booster.html
The booster shots’ approval comes as two more Blaine County residents have died of COVID, bringing the official count to 26. Blaine County has lost seven residents to COVID in the past month.
One of the latest cases was a female in her 60s who was hospitalized and had underlying health conditions. The other was a female in her 80s who was not hospitalized but had underlying health conditions.
Neither was vaccinated, according to Brianna Bodily, public information officer for South Central Public Health District.
Idaho had the highest death rate from COVID in the country earlier this week, according to the CDC.
Blaine County has reported 20 new cases of COVID since Tuesday, an average of 6.6 new cases a day, according to the state’s COVID-19 Dashboard.