STOCK PHOTO

COVID-19 booster shots are available at Mecklenburg County Health Department clinics at Beatties Ford Road and Billingsley Road as well as pharmacies and healthcare providers.

New COVID-19 boosters are available at Mecklenburg County Public Health clinics.

The new booster is also widely available across the county at healthcare providers and pharmacies. Residents can make an appointment for a booster dose or primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine online or call (980) 314-9400. Walk-ins to the Northwest health clinic, 2845 Beatties Ford Road or Southeast clinic, 249 Billingsley Road are also welcome. The clinics are open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as well as Wednesday 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

“As we head into the fall season, these new COVID-19 boosters, enhanced to protect against severe illness due to the variants currently circulating, will lower the impact this virus has on our community,” Mecklenburg Public Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington said in a statement.

The boosters are formulated to give better protection against the COVID-19 strains. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have “bivalent” formulas that contain mRNA parts of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants in addition to parts from the original coronavirus strain are given as a single booster dose at least two months after the last dose of the primary vaccine series or booster dose for people 12 years of age and older for Pfizer. For Moderna, it’s people 18 years and older.  

Pfizer and Moderna’s original “monovalent” formulas, which contain mRNA parts of the original strain only, are no longer given as boosters for people 12 and older. They will continue as the primary series vaccines for people who are at least six months of age and as boosters for people 5-11 years old at least five months after the last dose of the primary series.

Health officials also urge people to get a flu shot at the same time, which is available upon request during the COVID-19 vaccine appointment. Some people choose to get each shot in a different arm to minimize potential discomfort.

September and October are the best time to get a flu shot before the virus spreads during indoor gatherings and travel for the holidays, which increase the risk of exposure to influenza and COVID-19. Vaccines have been shown to greatly reduce the chances of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

Comments