Booster doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine now available for some people

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare supports the authorization of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to administer booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to certain people. Booster doses are available now for those individuals.

Those eligible for a single booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are those who received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months earlier and who fall into one of these categories:

• People ages 65 years and older
• Residents of long-term care facilities
• People ages 50-64 with underlying medical conditions
• People ages 18-49 with underlying medical conditions, based on individual benefit and risk
• People ages 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

Booster doses are available now at pharmacies, clinics, and healthcare providers statewide. Booster doses will not be available to the general public at local hospitals. Use the Vaccine Finder to find more information about vaccine locations, the vaccine brands available, and walk-in or scheduling details. Neither proof of eligibility nor a prescription is required, and all doses of the vaccine are free of charge to the person getting the booster dose.

The FDA and CDC issued their decisions earlier this week.

Those who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine are not currently eligible for a booster dose.

The CDC's final recommendations are available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/covid-19.html.