SLO County is giving COVID booster shots. Here’s who’s eligible and how to get one
Eligible San Luis Obispo County residents can now get COVID-19 booster shots — but Public Health officials are giving additional doses only to people over a certain age or with specific health conditions.
The county Public Health Department last week began administering booster doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to residents age 50 and older.
The booster shot offerings come a couple of months after Public Health started giving third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to immunocompromised people in August.
So what’s the difference between COVID-19 booster shots and third vaccine doses? Who’s eligible to get either now? And where are they available?
Here’s what you need to know, based on county Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.
Why would I get a booster shot in the first place?
The CDC reports available COVID-19 vaccines are still working well to prevent “severe illness, hospitalization and death.”
“However, public health experts are starting to see reduced protection, especially among certain populations, against mild and moderate disease,” the CDC’s website says.
Although only certain groups of people are currently eligible for boosters, the CDC may eventually recommend them for more people as the agency gathers additional data.
“Experts are looking at all available data to understand how well the vaccines are working for different populations,” the CDC’s website says. “This includes looking at how new variants, like Delta, affect vaccine effectiveness.”
Who can get booster shots at SLO County Public Health clinics?
As of Oct. 7, county Public Health is administering booster shots only to eligible people who got the two-dose Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago.
Right now, people eligible for boosters at Public Health clinics fit into three groups: Residents ages 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions, residents ages 65 and older, and residents living in long-term care facilities.
People in those groups can visit myturn.ca.gov or call 833-422-4255 to make Pfizer booster appointments at Public Health clinics.
What if the CDC says I’m eligible for a booster, but I can’t get one at a SLO County Public Health clinic?
Public Health is not currently providing Pfizer boosters for everyone eligible under CDC recommendations.
“Due to limited capacity, SLO Public Health community clinics will first provide Pfizer boosters to those with the greatest risk,” the agency’s website says.
The CDC has also authorized Pfizer booster shots for people ages 18 to 64 with underlying medical conditions, as well as those who have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 at their jobs.
The agency includes first responders, teachers, food and agriculture workers, manufacturing workers, corrections workers and grocery store workers in their list of people eligible for booster shots.
Public Health encourages other people eligible for Pfizer booster shots to get their doses at pharmacies or medical offices.
To find local pharmacies offering boosters, visit vaccines.gov.
What if I got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines? Can I still get the Pfizer booster?
No, neither Public Health nor the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend vaccine mixing. Right now, the FDA booster dose authorization applies only to the Pfizer vaccine, not to the two-shot Moderna or one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
That means the CDC does not suggest Pfizer boosters for Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shot recipients. The FDA hasn’t yet authorized Moderna or Johnson & Johnson boosters.
“People in the recommended groups who got the Moderna or J&J/Janssen vaccine may need a booster shot,” the CDC website says. “More data on the effectiveness and safety of Moderna and J&J/Janssen booster shots are expected soon.”
What about third vaccine doses? Aren’t those the same as booster shots?
No, third vaccine doses are different from booster shots in a couple of important ways.
Third doses are only for moderately to severely immunocompromised people, including organ transplant recipients, those with cancer, those with advanced or untreated HIV, those with moderate or severe immunodeficiencies and those taking high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that suppress the immune system, the CDC’s website says.
Immunocompromised people who got Pfizer or Moderna shots should get a third dose of the same vaccine they originally received 28 days after their second dose.
In the case of the Pfizer vaccine, the third dose shot is the same as the booster, just targeted to particularly vulnerable segments of the population.
The CDC recommends the additional dose because immunocompromised people “are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, and may not build the same level of immunity to 2-dose vaccine series compared to people who are not immunocompromised,” the agency’s website says.”
The CDC doesn’t yet know whether another dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would have the same effect on immunocompromised people.
“There is not enough data at this time to determine whether immunocompromised people who received the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine also have an improved antibody response following an additional dose of the same vaccine,” the website says.
County Public Health is currently administering third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to immunocompromised people.
To sign up for a third dose appointment at a Public Health clinic, visit myturn.ca.gov or call 833-422-4255.
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
