New COVID-19 booster shots targeting the omicron variant are now available to most Iowans 12 and older.
Pharmacies, clinics and other vaccine providers across the state began offering the single-dose boosterover the holiday weekend and into this week after federal health officials approved the new reformulatedModerna and Pfizer-BioNTechvaccine.
The newbivalent booster shots target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the most recent omicron variant that's causing spikesin infections.
As of Saturday, the BA.5 variant accounted for 88% of new COVID-19 cases across the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As a result, these new boosters will be more effective against the latest version of the coronavirus, said Mike Brownlee, chief pharmacy officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
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"We should start to look at this vaccine program, from a booster perspective, a lot like we do with the flu," Brownlee said. "We're seeing different strains that are now circulating, so weadjust and create a booster that gives us coverage for these new circulating strains."
Vaccine doses may be limited at first
Iowa received56,000 doses of COVID-19 bivalent booster doses in the first round of distribution, which began to arrive in the state Sept. 1, said Sarah Ekstrand, spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
However, providerswarn appointments for the booster initiallymay be limited.
But unlike previous phases of the pandemic, there's not a high level of urgency to get the booster unless you are at high risk, Brownlee said. The primary vaccine series and previous booster doses are still very effective against serious illness and hospitalization.
"There's just a lot more circulating immunities in our communities nowbecause of infection rates and because of vaccination," Brownlee said. "We're just not in the same serious stance we were before."
Additional vaccine doses are expected to arrive in Iowa later this week, Ekstrand said.
The Biden administration purchased 171 million booster doses, which includes 105 million from Pfizer and 66 million from Moderna. The White House is expected to procure more doses in the coming weeks, and federal health officials said vaccine supply should meet demand this fall and winter.
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Where can I find a booster shot?
Each of Iowa's 99 counties was allocated Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses in the initial rollout, state officials told healthproviders in a recent memo. In line with the state's ongoing vaccine distribution strategy, doses should be available at many health-care clinics and pharmacies across the state.
Hy-Vee, thegrocery chain that includesIowa's largest set of pharmacies, announced Tuesday that booster appointments would be availableat select locations this week by appointment only "due to the initial limited supply." Individuals can schedule appointments athy-vee.com/covidvaccine.
The vaccines are also available at major retail pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens.
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Iowans canschedule an appointmentat CVS by visiting CVS.com or using the CVS Pharmacy app. They can also schedule an appointment at Walgreens throughWalgreens.comorthe Walgreens app or by calling1-800-WALGREENS.
Who is eligible for the new booster shot?
The Pfizer booster was authorized for individuals aged 12 and older.
The Moderna vaccine is authorized for those aged 18 and older.
The CDC estimates there are roughly200 million Americans aged 12 and older who are eligible for the new booster shot.
However, individuals have been slow to get boosters. According tothe Kaiser Family Foundation, only about half of U.S. adults say they are fully vaccinated and have also received a booster shot.
About 24% received the primary COVID-19 vaccine seriesbut have not received their booster.
Brownlee is optimistic the CDC's move to simplify booster-shot guidance will result in less confusion among the publicand more individuals seeking the shot.
Brownlee also pointed out Pfizerbooster shots are still available for children between the ages of five to 11 years.
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When is the best time to get boosted?
Individuals should waitat least two months after completing the primary two-dose vaccine series or after receiving a booster dose with the original vaccine.
Those who have been infected with COVID-19 should wait at least three months before receiving the new bivalent booster shot, the CDC recommends.
Beyond that, the CDC recommends Americans get boosted as soon as they are eligible.
Brownlee recommends Iowans should get their bivalent booster shot at the same time as their annual influenza shot. Possible symptoms after getting two vaccines are the same as getting a single shot, and there's no concern these vaccines will negate one another, he said.
"We're already starting to see some RSV and flu activity, so we're in the prime time to get your flu vaccine," Brownlee said.
Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 oron Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm.
