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Queen’s-West Oahu drive-thru clinic to offer bivalent COVID vaccines, flu shots

The Queen’s Health System is holding a drive-thru clinic Sunday at its West Oahu campus, offering both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside of the Sullivan Care Center at The Queen’s Medical Center–West Oahu campus at 91-2127 For Weaver Road in Ewa Beach, with signs directing patients to the location.

Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations will be administered to those ages 5 and older only.

The newly approved bivalent COVID boosters from both Pfizer and Moderna will be available, as well as the monovalent vaccines for those not yet vaccinated with their primary series. Patients receiving a booster dose should bring their vaccination cards.

Also, the high-dose flu vaccine, recommended for those ages 65 and older, will be available at the clinic.

Queen’s asks patients to bring an ID and insurance card, although insurance is not required for vaccination.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Pfizer’s bivalent booster for people ages 12 and older and Moderna’s bivalent booster for adults ages 18 and older to stay up-to-date on COVID vaccinations.

The new bivalent vaccines are formulated to provide protection against both the original COVID-19 strain and omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. Omicron subvariant BA.5 is currently the dominant strain circulating across the U.S. and Hawaii.

The bivalent vaccines are to be administered as a single booster dose to those who previously completed a primary series of COVID vaccines and those who have had one or two booster doses. Bivalent boosters can only be administered if it has been at least two months since a person’s most recent COVID shot.

CDC also recommends everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu shot each year. The flu season in Hawaii typically runs from October to April and peaks between December and March.

CDC officials say people can get the COVID shot and flu shot at the same visit.

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