COVID-19 booster shots are now available, but there might be a wait before you can get an appointment for one.
New York says if you are 18 years and older and received the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna initial vaccine series at least six months ago, or the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at least two months ago, you are eligible for a booster.
Boosters are especially urged for those over age 50, and for people with pre-existing health conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says people can “mix and match” their vaccine — meaning they can choose what vaccine they want for a booster, they do not have to stick with the brand they initially received.
The COVID-19 booster shot is being offered in many locations: grocery stores, pharmacies, county health departments and state mass vaccination sites. Many community clinics are also being held.
What can you do to get a booster appointment? You have several options:
1. Book an appointment through your medical provider
2. Go to your county’s vaccination site
3. Book an appointment through California’s CVS website
4. Book an appointment through your local pharmacies
The No. 1 priority for the U.S., and the world, still is to get more unvaccinated people their first doses. All three COVID-19 vaccines used in the U.S. continue to offer strong protection against severe illness, including hospitalization and death, without a booster.
But protection against infection can wane with time, and the U.S. and many countries in Europe also are grappling with how widely to recommend boosters as they fight a winter wave of new cases. In the U.S., COVID-19 diagnoses have climbed steadily over the last three weeks, especially in states where colder weather already has driven people indoors.
