DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Public Health agencies for several West Central Ohio counties will begin administering a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, West Central Ohio Regional Public Health said.
The purpose of this additional dose is to strengthen the immune response when the initial immune response to the primary two-dose vaccine series is likely to be insufficient, according to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
High-risk individuals in Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Shelby counties will be able to receive this booster shot, Public Health said, provided it is more than six months since they completed the initial vaccination.
“Even as we start some individuals on booster doses, we cannot lose sight of the urgency to receive a first dose,” said Charles Patterson, Clark County Health Commissioner. “We urge individuals who have not yet received a vaccination to do so as quickly as possible to reduce the recent surge of severe illness and hospitalization.”
Public Health said that individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine or the Moderna vaccine are not eligible to receive a booster dose at this time.
Each county’s health department will determine the schedule for when eligible groups will begin in their area.
Eligible groups include:
- People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings
- People ages 50 to 64 with certain underlying medical conditions
- People ages 18 to 49 who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 due to certain underlying medical conditions
- People ages 18-64 who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting
Anyone requesting a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be advised of all the qualifying conditions and will self-attest to their own eligibility.