All adults in Hawaii who were fully vaccinated at least six months ago are now eligible to receive a booster shot after the state Department of Health on Friday adopted federal guidance authorizing an additional dose of the Pfizer- BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines.
The federal authorization greatly simplifies what had been a confusing matrix of criteria for who qualified for a third dose of the two vaccines. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 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 news release. “Now the research shows boosters will help protect us from COVID-19.”
The latest approval expands eligibility to hundreds of thousands of Hawaii residents. But state health officials are not anticipating any supply shortages, said DOH spokesman Brooks Baehr. 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 Friday, CVS Health announced that it would be offering booster shots to all adults at its pharmacies nationwide, including Hawaii, starting this weekend.
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, hospitalization and death.
State health officials said the booster shots provide additional protection by reenergizing the body’s natural defenses.
“We invite anyone who is not vaccinated to get vaccinated soon so they’ll be protected during the holidays,” Char said. “And, if you got your shots awhile ago, a booster is available for you today.”
State health officials on Friday reported six new coronavirus-related deaths and 206 new infections statewide, bringing the state’s totals since the start of the pandemic to 998 fatalities and 86,522 cases.
The new cases include 119 on Oahu, 42 on Hawaii island, 19 on Kauai, 18 on Maui and eight Hawaii residents diagnosed outside the state.
Baehr said Friday’s numbers include “about 40 backlogged cases involving testing providers that recently began providing data to DOH’s electronic lab reporting system. This reporting delay includes cases reported across the state. DOH expects additional backlogged cases to be reported in next few weeks.”
While the number of new cases has increased in recent days, the case positivity rate, an indicator of the level of transmission, remains low at 1.4% statewide, according to DOH data.
The state’s official coronavirus-related death toll includes 745 fatalities on Oahu, 130 on Hawaii island, 98 on Maui, 13 on Kauai, one on Molokai, and 11 Hawaii residents who died outside the state.
DOH reported 19 new COVID-19-related hospitalizations Friday, with a total 53 patients with the virus in Hawaii hospitals, including nine in intensive care units and eight on ventilators.
