Frontline workers eligible for booster shot
Teachers among those able to get a third dose
Frontline workers are among those eligible for a booster dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for added protection against the virus — a relief for teachers, health care workers and many others who are high-risk and now qualify.
Eligible Oklahomans can get booster doses now, as long as they are six months past from their second dose of a Pfizer vaccine, the state Health Department said. There is no booster recommendation yet for those who have received a Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccination.
When educators first started getting their COVID-19 vaccinations earlier this year, “a sense of relief washed over them,” Oklahoma Education Association President Katherine Bishop said Friday.
“I think this booster is going to create that same sense to them as well,” especially for teachers and staff in districts that aren’t enforcing other COVID-19 prevention measures, she said.
Booster doses will be “huge” for staff in Moore Public Schools, said Superintendent Robert Romines. Between 75% and 85% of staff were vaccinated after vaccines first became available, he said.
“This third vaccination, or booster shot, I think we’ll be very close in line with the high percentages that we had,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a really great thing.”
In Oklahoma County alone, 180,000 people could qualify for a booster dose if they want one, according to the citycounty health department.
Who’s eligible?
People 65 and older and residents of long-term care facilities should receive a booster shot, the CDC said in the recommendations released Friday.
People 50 and older who have underlying health issues should also get a booster dose, according to the CDC.
The CDC’s recommendation says people 18 and older with health issues may get a booster dose, as well as people who are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 because of where they work or live, based on “their individual benefits and risks.”
“This includes health care workers, teachers, those living in shelters and prisons, and grocery store workers,” Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, said at a briefing Friday.
If people meet those qualifications, and it’s been at least six months since their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, they’re eligible for a booster dose.
People with other occupations could be eligible, too. There won’t be an exhaustive list of occupations or medical conditions that qualify someone for a booster dose. In Oklahoma, recipients will be asked to self-attest that they’re eligible for a booster, but they won’t need to show proof, said Mendy Spohn, assistant deputy commissioner with the Oklahoma Health Department.
“We always recommend that people work with their medical providers if they have specific questions, especially in relation to their specific medical condition or medications they’re on,” Spohn said.
Why boosters?
Health officials stressed that the booster doses are being offered as an additional layer of protection for those at the highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
“The booster dose recommendation doesn’t mean that the vaccine doesn’t work, or that it doesn’t work as well as we predicted. It just means that health professionals have determined that a booster dose provides an additional layer of protection,” Dr. Gitanjali Pai, Oklahoma’s chief medical officer, said in a statement.
The two-shot Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine still offers significant protection, Oklahoma State Medical Association President Dr. Mary Clarke said in a statement.
“We must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our most vulnerable citizens,” she said. “We are grateful to the CDC for recommending a booster that provides greater protections for those at higher risk for infection,” including health care workers at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure.
Health officials said their focus is still vaccinating more people who haven’t been vaccinated yet.
“We are glad to be able to provide [dose] one, two or three,” Spohn said.
COVID-19 vaccines — both primary and booster doses — are free, plentiful and available in hundreds of locations in Oklahoma. To find one near you, visit vaccines.gov, the state’s vaccine scheduling portal at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov, or call 211.
Immunocompromised people who received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine are eligible for a third dose within 28 days of their second shot. Those are not considered booster doses, officials said.