A day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed updated COIVD-19 boosters, the Connecticut Department of Public Health said some sites will have the updated booster available by today and others should have them just after the Labor Day holiday.
On Thursday afternoon, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster dose at least two months after primary or booster vaccination.
The state Department of Health said the updated COVID-19 vaccines are protective against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants.
The Moderna booster is approved for people 18 years old and up and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster is authorized for people 12 years old and up.
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The state Department of Health said about 200,000 doses of the updated booster vaccines were pre-ordered so far and will be shipped directly to the providers.
They said only those who have completed their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine should receive this updated booster.
“Here in Connecticut, we are in a better place than we were a year ago thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters which have saved countless lives. But with the start of the new school year and the onset of the fall season when people begin spending more time indoors, there is no better time to receive this extra level of protection which targets these variants and prevents transmission of this virus,” state Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said in a statement.
The state is encouraging eligible Connecticut residents to receive an updated booster, especially those who are 65 and older as well as immunocompromised people.
Contact your primary care physician to schedule an appointment or visit www.vaccines.gov to find a provider.
The boosters also will be available at local health departments and through the DPH Yellow Van mobile clinics program.
Get the Yellow Van schedule here or by visiting ct.gov/coronavirus.
The state Department of Health said the CDC is also expected to recommend updated COVID-19 boosters for additional pediatric groups in coming weeks.
