Area residents looking for a COVID-19 vaccine booster can now use the state’s online map to find vaccine sites.
Locations that offer the new bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines, which protect against the two most common strains of the virus, can now be found on the Indiana Department of Health’s ourshot.in.gov map, state health officials announced Tuesday. Appointments are not yet available online, but can be made by contacting a pharmacy or healthcare provider, or by calling 211, or 866-211-9966, for assistance.
Additional locations will be added as vaccine shipments continue to arrive in the state, according to an IDOH news release
The bivalent boosters were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, on Aug. 31, and were endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, on Sept. 1. The boosters include protection against the Omicron variant, the dominant strain circulating, and replace previous boosters, which covered only the original COVID-19 strain, state health officials say.
Booster doses have also been shown to increase protection from hospitalization and death due to COVID-19, officials say.
The Pfizer bivalent booster is authorized for individuals ages 12 and older, while the Moderna bivalent booster is available to individuals ages 18 and older. Individuals are eligible to receive an updated booster so long as it has been at least two months since they received their last booster dose or completed their primary vaccine series, according to the news release.
