Question: I am confused about the booster shots. Are we supposed to get one or two? When? My health is good, and I’ve never had COVID-19 that I know of.
Answer: Everyone 12 and over should get a first booster shot, and anyone 50 and older can get a second booster shot, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC distinguishes between recommending the first booster (should) and offering the second as an option (can).
For people who received Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for their primary COVID-19 vaccine series (two doses), the first booster shot would occur at least five months after the primary vaccine series was completed. The second booster would occur at least four months after the first booster shot.
To be clear, the CDC’s advice is different for people who received Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine and for people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
People who received only J&J should get a first booster at least two months after receiving their primary vaccine (one dose) and can get a second booster at least four months after the first booster, the CDC says.
People age 12 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive a total of four doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC says. The primary vaccine series for this group is three doses, plus a booster shot (fourth dose) at least three months after the third shot, because their weakened immune systems leave them at higher risk of severe COVID-19.
A CDC web page explaining booster shots in an easy-to-read format was updated Thursday, at 808ne.ws/cdcboost. The CDC credits booster shots for continuing to protect people from getting severely ill, being hospitalized or dying from COVID- 19, which continues to evolve; immunity from past infection or primary vaccination wanes over time.
Q: Did Mayor Blangiardi get both booster shots or just one before he tested positive for COVID-19?
A: One. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi was eligible for a second booster shot and had been scheduled to receive it this week but tested positive in the meantime, a spokesperson said Thursday. The mayor, who is 75, has been isolating at home since testing positive Wednesday and has experienced mild symptoms, his office said. He had previously received a two-dose primary COVID-19 vaccination series and one booster dose.
Q: I have a question regarding the new Oahu Transient Accommodations Tax. How do I go about paying the 3% tax that I collected from my vacation rental in the Ilikai Marina building? I can pay my 10.25% Transient Accommodations Tax through the state Department of Taxation’s e-file site, but I can’t find anywhere to enter the 3% OTAT.
A: The OTAT is levied by Honolulu County, so payments are made to the county. The TAT is a state tax, which is why you can pay it through DOTAX’s online system. Numerous readers have asked how to make a single payment covering both taxes, but that’s not possible; separate payments are due to each jurisdiction, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Budget and Fiscal Services.
Pay OTAT online at honolulu.gov/otatpay or by mailing a check and payment voucher to City and County of Honolulu, Division of Treasury, OTAT Office, P.O. Box 29280, Honolulu 96820.
Go to honolulu.gov/otat to download a payment voucher form and for more details, including payment due dates and other instructions, such as for bulk filers.
Mahalo
I would like to say Happy Easter and many thanks to the kind man who intervened on my behalf when an angry woman, a complete stranger to me, began yelling and cursing at me as I tried to cross the street at Kapiolani Boulevard and Piikoi Street. It was frightening. I don’t know what I would have done without his help. He was carrying a bag with Easter goodies. — Pedestrian
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
