CVS Health will start offering booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer to qualified persons, it announced on Friday.
Pfizer booster shots will be dispensed in about 6,000 CVS stores, with 583 California sites included, starting Friday.
The announcement follows the CDC’s approval according to its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ guidance.
Included in the eligible population are those aged 65 and up. Residents in long-term care set-ups are counted and can get their Pfizer booster shot at least six months following their primary series of the said vaccine brand.
Also qualified are those aged 50 to 65 and have existing health circumstances; people aged 18 to 49 and are considered at high risk for serious virus infection due to underlying conditions; and those aged 18 to 64 whose employment puts them at risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection. They can get their booster shot at least six months following the main series of Pfizer vaccination.
But at present, those who have received Johnson & Johnson vaccine or Moderna are not yet authorized to get their booster.
Those who are qualified and willing to get the booster shot can visit the CVS website to arrange an appointment.
Nationwide, CVS Health has already provided more than 34 million COVID-19 vaccines.
“We have the experience and the infrastructure to play a leading role in administering booster shots to eligible populations,” Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health, Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., MPH, said, as reported by KRON4. “We also continue to make it as convenient as possible for the unvaccinated to receive their first doses.”