All adults in Hawaii who were fully vaccinated at least six months ago are now eligible to receive a booster shot following federal guidance adopted by the Hawaii Department of Health today that authorizes another dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines.
The federal authorization greatly simplifies what had been a confusing matrix of criteria for who qualifies for a third dose of the two vaccines. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that anyone over the age 50, and anyone 18 and older who is residing in a long-term care facility, “should” receive a booster, and that anyone 18 and older “may” get a booster.
About 145,000 Hawaii residents have already received a booster shot in recent months under prior authorizations that targeted high-risk groups.
Federal agencies last month also approved booster shots for all adults who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago, saying they could receive another Johnson & Johnson shot, or choose to get a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.
“We’ve been getting booster shots for measles, mumps, chickenpox, tetanus, whooping cough and other diseases for years,” said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, in a press release. “Now the research shows boosters will help protect us from COVID-19.”
The latest approval expands eligibility to hundreds of thousand of Hawaii residents. But state health officials are not anticipating any supply shortages, said Brooks Baehr, a DOH spokesman. The state has a current supply of more than 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 70,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Vaccines are being administered at about 450 locations throughout the state, including hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and mobile sites, according to DOH. About 140 of those locations are schools, which are primarily administering initial doses to children ages 5 to 11.
Following the CDC authorization today, CVS Health announced that it would be offering booster shots for all adults at its pharmacies nationwide, including Hawaii, starting Saturday.
The booster shots come amid growing evidence of the waning effectiveness of vaccines, even as top health officials continue to underscore that while there has been an increase in breakthrough infections the vaccines continue to be effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalisation and death.
State health officials said today that the booster shots provide additional protection by re-energizing natural defenses.
“We invite anyone who is not vaccinated to get vaccinated soon so they’ll be protected during the holidays,” said Char. “And, if you got your shots a while ago, a booster is available for you today.”
