Oneida County announces booster clinics available this week

Utica, N.Y. — Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. announced that COVID-19 booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be available to eligible residents beginning this week.

“While we still continue the push to get our county residents fully vaccinated against COVID-19, we must now also make sure that at-risk residents who have been vaccinated already remain protected through booster doses,” Picente said. “Several groups are now eligible to receive these boosters and county government will be administering doses beginning this week.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New York State Health Department are now recommending booster doses for certain groups determined to be high risk.

Oneida County residents are eligible for a COVID-19 booster vaccine if they received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago AND fit in at least one of the following categories: Should receive booster dose:

• 65 years or older

• Resident of a long-term care facility.

• 50-64 years-old and are at high risk of severe COVID-19 due to underlying medical conditions

May receive booster dose:

• 18-49 years-old and at high risk of severe COVID-19 due to underlying medical conditions*. (Should be based on an assessment of individual benefits and risks and consultation with medical provider).

• 18-64 years-old whose job puts them at high risk for COVID-19.

Appointments

The first county-operated COVID-19 Booster Vaccination PODS will take place:

• Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 at Griffiss International Airport in Rome

• Oct. 1, 2021 at Mohawk Valley Community College Jorgensen Center in Utica

At this time, individuals must have received the Pfizer vaccine for their initial vaccine series at

least six months ago to be eligible. Individuals who received the Moderna or Janssen/johnson & Johnson vaccine are not currently eligible but may be in the near future.

Eligible county residents must bring a valid COVID-19 vaccine card or Excelsior Pass with proof of previous Pfizer vaccine. Those who do not have either forms of vaccination proof should contact the Oneida County Health Department at (315) 7985431 before their appointment.

Area Kinney Drugs are also administering booster shots to those eligible.

MATT ROURKE, FILE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE — In this March 26, 2021, file photo a member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19vaccine at a vaccination site setup in Philadelphia. Religious objections, once used only sparingly around the country to get exempted from various required vaccines, are becoming a much more widely used loophole against the COVID-19SHOT.