Updated Oct. 29 at 4:48 p.m.
Thousands of Vermonters are now eligible for a covid booster. Here’s what people are asking about this new phase in the pandemic response.
I got my two shots. Does that mean I’m fully vaccinated?
Yes, but the booster gives you extra protection, state epidemiologist Patsy Kelso said earlier this month.
“The definition of fully vaccinated is not going to change. It’s still, at least for now, it’s going to be two doses of Pfizer, two doses of Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson,” she said. “So we’re not going to say that you’re no longer fully vaccinated if you’ve had two doses of Pfizer. But the boosters, when they are recommended, as they are for Pfizer … the data shows that they offer more protection.”
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently said they’ll consider including boosters in their definition of fully vaccinated in the future. As of the end of October, however, there’s been no change.
Who qualifies for a booster right now?
In a broad reading of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Vermont officials have decided that many demographic and employee groups are eligible for the booster. Vermont’s guidelines authorize boosters for people who received their second Pfizer shot more than six months ago and adults who are in certain high-risk groups including older adults; people who are Black, Indigenous and people of color; people in poor health; and people who may get infected at work.
In the high-risk groups are people 18 and older who are first responders, educators, food and agriculture workers, factory workers, corrections staff, postal service workers, public transit employees, and food-service and grocery store workers.
Qualifying medical conditions include a past or current diagnosis of cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, dementia and other neurological conditions, Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, Down syndrome, and other genetic disorders that may result in intellectual disabilities or lung dysfunction. People who have cardiovascular diseases, are overweight or are immunocompromised also qualify. The state’s eligibility list also includes pregnancy, obesity and sickle cell disease, and current or past smoking and substance use disorders.
Moderna and Pfizer recipients in these categories can get their booster shot 6 months after their second vaccine dose. People that got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine can get their shots at least two months after the first shot, according to the CDC.
OK, so I qualify. What now?
You can schedule your shot, and state leaders recommend you do it as soon as possible. As with the previous shots, you have a few options:
- To schedule an appointment or get information on walk-in clinics, visit healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine or call 855-722-7878. You will be asked to provide your name, date of birth, address, email (if available), phone number and health insurance information (if available but not required).
- You can also call your health care provider or schedule appointments with some pharmacies, including: Costco, CVS, Hannaford, Kinney Drugs, Price Chopper/Market 32, Rite Aid, Shaw’s, Walgreens and Walmart. Some pharmacies may accommodate walk-in appointments, but with flu vaccination season in full swing, you’ll likely get seen quicker if you schedule the booster. Before you go, check if you need to bring your vaccination card to the pharmacy. Some pharmacies can issue a new card by looking up your information in the state vaccine registry. Others may only need to see a photo of your card. In some cases, pharmacy staff members won’t need to see the card, but instead ask you to attest that you qualify for the booster.
Does the third shot have side effects?
Yes, roughly the same as those from the second shot, according to a recent CDC study. The most common side effect is swelling or pain at the injection site, the study said. A smaller number of people may also get headaches or fevers, but those symptoms often go away in a day or two, the CDC found.
Can I get my flu shot at the same time?
You can, but you may be sore for a bit, so you might want to take it easy the next day, said William Schaffner, infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Though coronavirus vaccines have received a lot of publicity, seasonal flu can be just as potent an ailment and could even land people in the ICU. With hospitals across the country straining to care for patients, getting vaccinated for the flu can avert unnecessary hospitalizations, Schaffner said.
What if I got the J&J or Moderna shots?
Wait a week. The Food and Drug Administration is slated to discuss other boosters next week. Regulators also expect to consider the safety and efficacy of the “mix and match” approach, which would allow all fully vaccinated adults to get any booster, regardless of the type of vaccines they got initially. Some preliminary data suggests that this approach results in better immunity, but the FDA has yet to weigh in.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to issue its guidelines shortly after the FDA. The state of Vermont is expected to release its recommendation shortly after federal regulators.
Will there be other boosters?
We don’t know. Covid-19 is a relatively new disease in humans and scientists are still learning how it behaves. For now, however, regulators are discussing one booster for most of the population.
The CDC now advises immunocompromised people to get an additional shot six months after their last vaccine.
Immunocompromised people who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines — but not the Johnson and Johnson vaccine — became eligible for a third dose last August. The extra dose was not a booster, however.
According to an October guideline from the CDC, immunocompromised people can get any of the three approved vaccines as a booster.
To register for a vaccine appointment or get information on walk-in clinics, visit healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine or call 855-722-7878.
You will be asked to provide your name, date of birth, address, email (if available), phone number, and health insurance information (if available, but not required).
