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STAR-ADVERTISER / JAN. 7
A Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine is prepped for use by Safeway pharmacist Alana Isobe during a booster vaccination clinic at Iolani School.
The Hawaii Department of Health is reminding people that they are eligible for boosters if it has been at least five months since their primary Moderna vaccine series.
That means that adult residents ages 18 and up who completed their initial two doses of Moderna can now get a booster one month sooner. Previously, guidelines had recommended the Moderna booster at least six months after the initial vaccine series.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday amended the emergency use authorization for Moderna, shortening the required waiting period after the primary vaccine series to five months.
The Pfizer booster is also recommended for those ages 12 and up who completed their initial vaccine series five months ago.
DOH recommends boosters for the following:
>> A Pfizer booster for those ages 12-17 who completed their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine series at least five months ago.
>> A Pfizer or Moderna booster for those ages 18 and older who completed their initial series of either Pfizer or Moderna at least five months ago (can mix and match).
>> A booster for those 18 and older at least two months after the one-shot dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (can mix and match).
>> An additional dose of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11 who are moderately to severely immunocompromised 28 days after their second shot.
“The country is in the middle of a wave of the highly contagious omicron variant, which spreads more rapidly than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and other variants that have emerged,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in a news release. “Vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19, including the circulating variants, and shortening the length of time between completion of a primary series and a booster dose may help reduce waning immunity.”
Both The Queen’s Health Systems and Hawaii Pacific Health confirmed they are following these latest guidelines for Moderna at their vaccination clinics.
For more information on where to find vaccines and boosters, visit hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine-info.
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