Wednesday, December 11, 2024
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The wait for a Covid-19 booster shot that covers the omicron variant may soon be over in North Carolina.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week approved updated shots for the original and newly evolved variants of Covid-19.
Nearly 500,000 doses will arrive in North Carolina over the next two weeks, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Almost half of those doses will go to pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens. Here’s a Q&A on how to get one.
The booster shot for people age 12 and older will be available first, possibly as early as Tuesday, Sept. 6, according to NCDHHS. That booster is produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, according to the FDA. You can find a list of vaccination sites at vaccines.gov or calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).
Both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are available as boosters.
According to the FDA, anyone age 18 or older is eligible to receive the updated Moderna booster shot as long as it has been at least two months since either the last booster shot or the final shot in their primary vaccination regimen for Covid-19 was received. Those age 12 and older are eligible for a single-dose booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine if it has been at least two months since either a booster shot or their primary vaccination for Covid-19 was received.
Anyone younger than age 12 cannot receive the new booster shots yet, and the FDA plans to “evaluate future data and submissions to support authorization of bivalent Covid-19 boosters for additional age groups as we receive them.”
They are both considered “bivalent” vaccines, which means they protect against two strains of coronavirus: original strain of Covid-19 as well as the more recently evolved omicron variants. The original boosters, which do not protect as well against recently emerged strains of coronavirus, are no longer recommended for people age 12 and older.
The World Health Organization labeled BA.2, also called omicron, as a variant of concern late last year. It is the dominant variant circulating globally, and it has an increased risk of reinfection. Like the original vaccines, the bivalent version will protect against the most serious outcomes including hospitalization and death.