Novant Health, NHRMC announces Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot availability
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - Novant Health announced Friday, following emergency use authorization by the U.S. FDA., Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shots will be available for eligible individuals beginning Monday, September 27.
The booster dose can only be administered at least six months following the first series of vaccinations.
Eligible individuals, who previously received two doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, include the following:
- People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings
- People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions
- People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions, based on their individual benefits and risks
- People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting, based on their individual benefits and risks
Eligible individuals do not have to be Novant Health patients to receive booster shots; however, the shots are available by appointment only at the following locations:
- New Hanover Regional Medical Center vaccination clinic (2131 S. 17th St., Wilmington, NC), which is generally open Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Select Novant Health and NHRMC Physician Group primary care clinics
- Retail pharmacies and others will offer booster doses as well. If an individual is seeking a more convenient time or location they can visit the NCDHHS location finder, here.
Eligible individuals can schedule appointments online here. Or, established patients with NHRMC Physician Group primary care can schedule an appointment through NHRMC’s MyChart.
To receive the booster shot, individuals will need to bring their vaccine cards or a photo of their card. If the card has been lost, Novant Health can access records for those who received the first vaccine series at a Novant Health location. If the initial shots were received elsewhere, you will have to contact that vaccine site to get confirmation of your vaccination.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shots are also available in Bladen County.
Although, according to director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Rochelle Walensky, all three COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against severe illness, Walensky said, “Immunity against milder infection appears to wane months after initial vaccination.”
An additional group of eligible individuals was added by the CDC on Friday: People at increased risk of infection — not serious illness — because of their jobs or their living conditions. That includes health care workers, teachers and people in jails or homeless shelters.
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