Lexington health dept. to offer second COVID booster to some following FDA approval
After federal regulators signed off Tuesday on a second coronavirus vaccine booster for the immunocompromised and adults aged 50 and older, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department is looking into how to offer it to locals.
Kevin Hall, a spokesman for the health department, said the agency will next look for further authorization.
“We will await approval from the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and guidance from the Kentucky Department for Public Health before providing it,” Hall told the Herald-Leader in an email Tuesday.
“Once that is received, it will be offered the same as all the COVID-19 vaccines, including first doses, second doses and all appropriate boosters, and provided for free by same-day appointment at our Public Health Clinic every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday,” Hall added.
“Anyone who needs the vaccine should call 859-288-2483,” Hall wrote. “Completing the vaccination series, including boosters, has shown to reduce the risk of serious illness from COVID-19. Among Lexington residents hospitalized with COVID-19, about 69% are not vaccinated.”
Do I need a second booster of the coronavirus vaccine?
Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 for older people and certain immunocompromised individuals.
The agency laid out the following criteria for a second vaccine booster:
Individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
A second booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunity issues at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplantation or are living with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.
A second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine may be administered at least 4 months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older with the same certain kinds of immunocompromise.
Previously, the FDA authorized a single booster dose for certain immunocompromised individuals following completion of a three-dose primary vaccination series.
This new move will now make a second booster dose of these vaccines available to other populations at higher risk for severe disease, hospitalization and death, the FDA said Tuesday in a news release.
Why is a second coronavirus vaccine booster needed?
There’s new evidence suggesting a second booster of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine enhances protection against severe COVID-19 and is safe, the agency said Tuesday.
“Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the regulator’s news release.
“Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals,” Marks said. “Additionally, the data show that an initial booster dose is critical in helping to protect all adults from the potentially severe outcomes of COVID-19. So, those who have not received their initial booster dose are strongly encouraged to do so.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 4:49 PM.