Most fully vaccinated adults in US to be eligible for boosters soon, IL officials say
Most fully vaccinated adults in the United States will be eligible for COVID-19 booster shots within the coming weeks and months, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday.
The governor and the state’s top public health official, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, urged Illinoisans to start planning to get a booster and provided guidance for getting another shot during a news conference in Chicago.
By the end of this week, state health leaders will have official guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on who should get booster shots for each of the COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, Pritzker said.
Certain people who got the Pfizer vaccine are already eligible for a booster, including those 65 years or older, people with underlying health problems, people who work in high-risk jobs or live in congregate settings. They should get a booster at least six months after their second dose, according to the CDC.
The Food and Drug Administration recommended anyone who got a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, no matter their age or risk level, should get a booster at least two months after their first shot.
The CDC this week will issue a decision this week about those who got the Moderna vaccine and is 65 or older, or at higher risk. The FDA recommended they get a booster at least six months after they received their second dose.
Federal health officials are also working on a decision regarding mixing and matching vaccines for booster shots.
Boosters are expected to extend protection from serious illness from COVID-19 and hospitalization as winter approaches, Ezike said. The CDC released a study in late September showing the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine drops significantly after four months.
“We as Illinoisans will not stand idly by and relive the tragedy that we saw, especially when we have a powerful tool that will prevent those hospitalizations and deaths,” Ezike said.
COVID-19 has killed 25,470 Illinoisans, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Eighty-five percent of Illinoisans older than 18 have been fully vaccinated, while only 18% of Illinoisans over 65 had received a booster shot as of Oct. 12.
St. Clair County reopened its mass vaccination clinic in early October with a focus on providing boosters. The state announced a plan to roll out a mass booster campaign in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Eligible people can go anywhere for a booster shot and don’t have to go to the same place they got their initial shot. Doctors offices, pharmacies and public clinics provide vaccines.
To find a place to get a booster shot, visit www.vaccines.gov.
