Select demographics are now eligible to receive a booster shot for their COVID-19 vaccine for the three main COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S.: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
The FDA also approved “mixing” COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots, meaning that someone who received a Pfizer vaccination could get a Johnson & Johnson booster shot. Courtesy of the Department of Defense
For Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 booster shots, current eligible recipients include anyone 65 and older, anyone 18 and older in a long-term care facility, anyone 18 and older who is immunocompromised, and anyone who works in a high-risk setting. Anyone looking to receive a booster shot must bring their vaccination card to the booster shot appointment with them.
The Johnson & Johnson booster shot, however, is more widely available. Anyone who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months prior and any Pfizer or Moderna vaccine recipients who fit the eligibility for the Pfizer or Moderna booster shot can also receive the Johnson & Johnson booster shot.
The FDA also approved “mixing” COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots, meaning that someone who received a Pfizer vaccination could get a Johnson & Johnson booster shot.
Students can log onto myturn.ca.gov to see if they are eligible, and locate nearby locations offering COVID-19 booster shots. In addition to the locations listed on the government website, Albertsons, RiteAid and CVS — all located near Isla Vista — also offer booster shots.
UCSB Student Health is not currently offering booster shots.
“Booster shots will become an important part of our local strategy to protect our most vulnerable community members and end the pandemic. Local pharmacies and health care providers are prepared to offer booster doses in your community,” Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (SBCPHD) Director Van Do-Reynoso said in a press release.
“We want to encourage those who have yet to receive a first-dose vaccine to know that vaccines are still available to you.”
Currently, the county remains on a downward trend for COVID-19 cases, with 9.9 positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and a 2.7% testing positivity rate as of Oct. 22. As for vaccination rates, 78.4% of the county is eligible to receive a vaccine, with 70.8% of everyone who is eligible being fully-vaccinated.
Isla Vista has zero active or new cases as of Oct. 26, according to the SBCPHD Community Dashboard.
A version of this article appeared on p. 5 of the Oct. 28, 2021 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
