COVID-19 Booster Shot FAQ
October 8, 2021
As you may have heard, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently endorsed Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots for certain populations and for those in high-risk occupational and institutional settings. Memorial Medical Center strongly encourages eligible individuals who completed the initial two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine series more than six months ago to receive a booster dose.
Memorial Medical Center is not administering booster doses to the public at this time. For a list of convenient vaccine sites in our community, please visit www.vaccines.gov.
A few important details:
- The booster dose should be given at least six months after completion of the initial two-dose Pfizer series.
- The following groups are eligible to receive the Pfizer booster dose:
- People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series;
- People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series;
- People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks; and
- People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.
For additional information, here is a link to updated Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) fact sheet for recipients and caregivers and the full CDC statement on booster recommendations.
Again, booster doses are now approved for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine only, and vaccines cannot be mixed-and-matched from other COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers at this time. We expect more information about the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) boosters to be coming soon and will share more details once available.
Thank you for being diligent about protecting your health and the health of our community by getting vaccinated!