Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released formal recommendations for who should get a COVID-19 booster shot. And as a result, pharmacies are opening up appointments.
CVS is the latest to join Walgreens in offering Pfizer booster shots to those who qualify.
CVS is asking patients to reserve an appointment at cvs.com or minuteclinic.com. You must be able to provide the manufacturer and date of your last COVID vaccine, showing you originally had two doses of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago. Patients who sign up for the booster shot are asked to "self-attest" for their eligibility.
“We have the experience and the infrastructure to play a leading role in administering booster shots to eligible populations,” said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., MPH, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health, in a release. “We also continue to make it as convenient as possible for the unvaccinated to receive their first doses.”
Pfizer was the first COVID vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and is the only one of the three vaccines so far to be given the OK for booster use.
Given a lack of data on the safety of mixing vaccines from different manufacturers, Americans who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots must wait to have their own boosters approved.
According to CDC guidance, the following people are eligible — and either should or may — receive a Pfizer booster shot:
- people 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,
- people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,
- people aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks, and
- people aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.
For more information, visit cvs.com.
