Updated at 3:25 p.m.
Up to 14,000 immunocompromised adults in Vermont have just become eligible for coronavirus booster shots, but differing policies on verifying vaccine eligibility may present hurdles for some.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that people whose immune systems are weakened because of cancer, organ transplants or other conditions should receive a third shot of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. The booster should become available to other groups next month, the agency announced Wednesday.
This expansion comes as vaccine uptake has slowed, even as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads nationwide. Though roughly 85% of Vermonters eligible for the vaccine received at least one dose thus far, state officials said last month that about 90,000 residents 12 and older were not yet vaccinated. Children under age 12 are not yet eligible for a vaccine.
All adults who received two shots of Pfizer or Moderna will become eligible for a booster beginning the week of Sept. 20, according to the CDC statement. State health officials said on Tuesday they will roll out a policy of approving third doses to anyone who says they qualify in the interim. Other Vermont providers, including pharmacies, may require a doctor’s note or prescription before they administer the third shot.
Exactly which pharmacies may require additional documentation was not immediately clear. Mike Smith, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, said the decision is up to individual organizations, though many are expected to follow the state’s example.
Luca Pompei, pharmacist at Northfield Pharmacy in Washington County, said he plans on trusting the information patients give him, especially since demand for a third shot likely won’t outpace supply anytime soon.
“I think we will have to trust the patient’s good faith,” he said. “The vaccine is not toxic. Giving a third dose is not harmful. It may not be useful, but it’s not harmful.”
Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens, each with numerous Vermont locations, have taken similar approaches.
One Vermont clinician said he was uncomfortable with giving vaccines without a doctor’s note.
“The interesting part for me is the self-reporting,” said pharmacist Andy Miller of Brattleboro Pharmacy. “Because you know, who’s supposed to be deciding that [someone is eligible]?”
Kinney Drugs, a pharmacy chain with more than 20 locations across Vermont, has said on its website that it, too, will require proof of eligibility. Representatives from the Syracuse, New York-based company were not available for comment on Wednesday.
Some pharmacies reached by VTDigger this week have not yet decided what proof, if any, to require.
University of Vermont Medical Center, which operates coronavirus vaccine clinics at its three Chittenden County pharmacies, has not yet finalized its third-dose policy, according to spokesperson Neal Goswami. He said in an email that officials will have more information to share soon.
Staff at Northern Counties Health Care, which offers vaccines at its walk-in clinic in Hardwick, is also looking at its options and likely won’t reach a decision until the middle of next week, said director of primary care Dan Sherman. The agency also has multiple locations in Caledonia, Orleans and southern Essex counties.
“It’s such a different scenario from where we were, you know, six [or] eight months ago, where there was this shortage of supply,” he said. “So we were really selective about who we were vaccinating early on. … Now that we’re not in that same situation, I wonder if we will be as strict in our enforcement.”
People are considered moderately to severely immunocompromised if they have:
- Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies.
- Receipt of a solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy.
- Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within two years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy).
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection.
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.
Free vaccine appointments can be scheduled online, or make an appointment with Kinney Drugs, CVS, Walgreens, Northfield Pharmacy or UVMMC Outpatient Pharmacies. Walk-in vaccines are available at CVS, Hannaford Food and Drug, Walmart, Walgreens, Price Chopper/Market 32, Rite Aid, Shaw’s Supermarket or Costco.
Vaccines are available over the weekend at the following sites:
Thursday, Aug. 19
Waterbury Farmer’s Market, 2 Rotarian Place, Waterbury
Barre Town EMS, 4 McLaughlin Road, East Barre
SunCommon, 442 U.S. Route 2, Waterbury
Friday, Aug. 20
Vermont Distillers (Metcalfe’s) at Hogback Overlook, 7755 Route 9 East, West Marlboro
Newport Waterfront Plaza, Newport
Mt. Abraham Union High School, 220 Airport Drive, Bristol
Bellows Falls Union High School, 406 High School Road, Bellows Falls
1311 Barre Montpelier Road, Berlin
Saturday, Aug. 21
Bellows Falls Fire Department, 170 Rockingham St., Bellows Falls
Grand Isle Sheriff’s Department, 10 Island Circle, Grand Isle
Stowe Community Church, 137 Main St., Stowe
Orleans Fire Department, 102 Main St., Orleans
Lamoille County Court House, 154 Main St., Hyde Park
Waterbury Ambulance, 1727 Guptil Road, Waterbury Center
Lawson’s Finest Liquids, 155 Carrol Road, Waitsfield
Sunday, Aug. 22
Hyde Park Municipal Office, 344 VT Route 15, Hyde Park
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