COVID-19 Omicron Boosters Being Distributed, Bucks County Health Department Says

Older adults get vaccinated in Bristol Township in November 2021.
Credit: PA Internet News Service

The newest authorized COVID-19 boosters designed to offer additional protection against the omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 are coming to Bucks County.

Vaccine providers across the county and state will begin administering the new COVID-19 boosters to those who want them as soon as this week. The Bucks County Health Department said last week that they will available as soon as this week at their clinics in the lower, central, and upper parts of the county.

The reformulated versions of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for COVID-19 were approved last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after receiving emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to those age 12 and older, while the new Moderna booster is available to those age 18 and older.

The available COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized and approved have been found to be safe and effective.

“If you are eligible, there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told NPR. “I strongly encourage you to receive it.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Health released the following: “The CDC specifies that people must have already received their primary vaccination series (two doses of Pfizer or Moderna, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson) to be eligible for the new updated booster shot. Individuals are also required to wait at least two months since completing their primary series or a booster shot before being eligible to receive the updated booster vaccine.”

“The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines target both the original SARS CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. Specifically, one part of the vaccine targets the spike protein of the original strain of the virus, while the second part targets another form of the spike protein found in BA.4 and BA.5 variants.”

Acting Health Secretary and Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson encouraged residents to get vaccinated.

“The updated COVID-19 booster shots will help restore protection that may have waned since previous vaccinations and provide added protection against the Omicron variant, including the highly transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 strains,” Johnson said. “Vaccine providers across Pennsylvania have already requested the updated vaccines, which will begin arriving in Pennsylvania as early as (late last week) and continue after Labor Day. If you are eligible, please reach out to your local vaccine provider to schedule an appointment.”

According to CDC data from Sunday, 84.5 percent of eligible Bucks Countians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 35 percent of residents have received a booster shot.