Hoosiers who have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, and have received a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, will now be able to get a booster shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine to counter waning immunity in some populations. The move follows a Food and Drug Administration decision to expand its emergency use authorization to include boosters, state health officials said Friday.
Before now the authorization of a third dose was only available to immunocompromised individuals. This dose was only for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, according to an Indiana Department of Health news release.
The single booster shot that was authorized Thursday can only be administrated at least six months after someone received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Only those who have received the Pfizer vaccine are eligible for this booster, the news release said.
Those who are eligible for the booster are:
- Individuals aged 65 and older;
- Residents of long-term care facilities;
- Individuals between the ages of 50-64 with underlying medical conditions that put them at high risk of severe COVID-19;
- Individuals between the ages of 18-49 with underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk; and
- Individuals between the ages of 18-64 who are at high risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of an occupational or institutional risk of exposure.
To sign up for a booster, Hoosiers can go to ourshot.in.gov and find a Pfizer vaccine site — which is designated by PVAX on the website — or call 211 for assistance.
Hoosiers should bring their vaccination card to their appointments to ensure the booster dose is added, and when they arrive, they will be asked to attest that they meet the eligibility requirements. The attestation will be incorporated into Indiana’s online appointment registration beginning Monday, according to the news release.
