GREENSBORO, N.C. — Triad health officials are preparing to administer Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster doses following the CDC's approval of the shots Thursday.
Everyone 18 years old or older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago can get a booster shot. For Pfizer and Moderna, you must be at least 65 years old or be 18 years old or older and be at high risk of COVID-19 exposure. This means you live in a nursing home or long-term care facility, have an underlying medical condition, work in a high-risk setting, or live in a place where many people live together. Find out if you're eligible here.
“The reason that (boosters) are approved for patients that are at high risk is based on what we are seeing nationally with regard to the trends in COVID-19 infections," said Stacy Dalpaos, the clinical outcome pharmacy manager with Novant Health. "So what we know is that the vaccines Are beginning to weigh in their ability to prevent COVID-19 infections. We are not seeing that they are waning in their efficacy against hospitalizations or severe Covid.”
The booster dose also does not have to match your original dose or doses.
"If you got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine as your first dose, for your second dose you really should consider getting a messenger RNA, either Moderna or Pfizer," said Dr. Christopher Ohl, an infectious disease expert with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, "because we know that the level of immunity and the increase of immune antibodies in people who get a second shot with the messenger RNA vaccine is really a lot higher.”
Health officials say the ability to mix-and-match vaccines opens up more access.
"We don't want to, from a public health perspective, limit the ability of patients to receive the vaccines," said Dalpaos, "and this removes any potential barriers of stock or access to any particular brands."
But the research is also still out on the effectiveness of mixing and matching.
"What’s very unclear is whether mixing and matching has any impact on the outcome of infection or severe disease," said Dalpaos. "So that’s why it is not a requirement to mix and match but the advisory council and the CDC endorsed the ability to mix-and-match if needed.”
Atrium Health WFB, Novant Health, and Cone Health all plan to begin administering booster doses next week, along with the Forsyth County Department of Public Health. The Davidson County Health Department is also now accepting appointments for Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson boosters.
"Especially those who may have received the vaccine early on in the pandemic, this is a perfect time to get a booster and it just reinforces the better immunity, plus the public health interventions of wearing a mask and all of that," said Dr. Cynthia Snider, the medical director for infection prevention at Cone Health. "I think this is going to be a really good thing for our community."
North Carolina mother Sharon Disandro said her daughter has been waiting to get a Moderna booster.
"My daughter recently started a job at a coffee shop and so (...) she’s going to be exposed more in that situation," said Disandro. "So we were really hoping to get the booster as soon as it was available.”
Disandro said her daughter has a disability which puts her into a high-risk category for the booster shot.
“It has been a struggle for my daughter over the past year and a half not having in-person activities and doing things that she normally does. It has affected her mentally," said Disandro.
Doctors say while booster shots are important, getting people who are not vaccinated to become vaccinated is really how to stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent hospitalizations.
You can look up where to get a COVID-19 shot or booster here.