North Carolina, Charlotte- The Mecklenburg County Department of Public Health (MCPH) announced on Monday 10 October that booster doses of Covid-19’s new “upgraded, bivalent vaccine” are now available in its clinics, as well as through health care. suppliers and pharmacies.
The new reinforcements are formulated to provide better protection against Covid-19’s new Omicron strains, before the fall and winter cold season arrives.
“As we head into the fall season, these new Covid-19 boosters, enhanced to protect against serious disease from the variants currently in circulation, will reduce the impact this virus has on our community,” said Dr. Raynard Washington. director of the MCPH.
You might be interested in:
Who can have these doses of bivalent vaccines
The “bivalent” formulations of the new Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which contain parts of the mRNA of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants as well as parts of the mRNA of the original coronavirus strain, are given as a single booster dose for at least 2 months after the last dose of the primary vaccination series or booster doses for people aged 12 years and older (for Pfizer) and people aged 18 years and over (for Moderna).
The original booster dose is no longer given
The “monovalent” formulations of the original Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (containing parts of mRNA only from the original coronavirus strain) are no longer given as booster doses for people over 12 years of age.
Pfizer and Moderna original monovalent vaccines will continue to be given as primary series vaccines for people 6 months of age and older and as booster doses for people 5 to 11 years of age at least 5 months after the last dose in the series. primary.
How to get the new booster dose
MCPH recommends making an appointment for a booster dose or primary series of a Covid-19 vaccine online at: https://book.appointment-plus.com/d0pdr29g/#/
You can also call: 980-314-9400, option 3 (English) or option 8 (Spanish).
This other option is to go to one of the following ward clinics during working hours:
Northwest Department of Health: 2845 Beatties Ford Road
Southeast Department of Health: 249 Billingsley Road
Timetables
Monday: 8:00 – 17:00
Tuesday: 8:00 – 17:00
Miércoles: 10:00 – 19:00
Thursday 8:00 – 17:00
Viernes 8:00 – 17:00
They encourage to have the flu shot at the same time
MCPH encourages the community to consider getting a flu shot at the same time; You should only ask about the vaccine when you arrive at your Covid-19 vaccine appointment.
According to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Covid-19 vaccines can be given on the same day as other vaccines, including the flu shot. Some people choose to have each injection in a different arm to minimize possible discomfort.
“The best time to get the flu shot is in September or October, before the flu spreads to our community,” the department said.
According to MCPH, this is also the time of year when students go back to school, people stay indoors more to shelter from the cold, and travel and get together for holidays, which increases the risk of exposure to both influences such as Covid-19.
“Vaccines greatly reduce the chances of serious illness, hospitalization and death,” he noted.
To find a location for a flu shot, you can go to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Locator at:
https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/gripe?utm_source=vacunate.nc.gov&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=gripe
