2nd COVID booster shots are available in the Triangle. How you can get one.
Second booster doses of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are now available, though only select groups are encouraged to get the extra shot.
People should get their second booster if it has been at least four months since their first booster dose.
Here are the groups eligible for the booster, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines:
▪ People 12 and up who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. (Note: Those under 18 can only get the Pfizer booster dose, as the Moderna dose for children still needs authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.)
▪ All adults 50 or older, including those who are not immunocompromised. The FDA authorized second booster shots using the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines for this group.
▪ All adults 18 or older who received Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccines as both their primary dose and first booster dose, regardless of whether they are immunocompromised or not, based on newly published data from the CDC. The second booster must be a Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccinations are free, and insurance or ID is not needed.
All people seeking a booster vaccination should bring their vaccination card indicating the brand and date of their original vaccinations.
While it’s not recommended to mix vaccines for the primary shot, the CDC said people 18 and older can get a different vaccine than the original shot for their booster.
People are considered up to date on their vaccine two weeks after the first booster. Thee CDC said the second booster “is not necessary to be considered up to date at this time.”
Doctors say it takes about two weeks for the booster to fully take effect, according to Health.com.
Wake County
Boosters are available at the five vaccine clinics of Wake County Public Health along with all other vaccines six days a week during the morning, afternoon and evenings across Raleigh, Wake Forest, Fuquay-Varina and Zebulon.
Vaccine appointments are available on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Wake County Public Health Center in Raleigh, the Wake County Northern Regional Center in Wake Forest, the Southern Regional Center in Fuquay-Varina and the Eastern Regional Center in Zebulon.
Recipients can find more information at WakeGov.com/vaccine or call the N.C. COVID-19 Help Line at 888-675-4567 to make an appointment.
“Boosters are safe and are especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions who are at increased their risk for severe disease from COVID-19,” said Dr. Nicole Mushonga, Wake County associate physician director and epidemiology program director.
Durham County
In Durham, booster shots and any other doses and types of COVID-19 vaccines are available by walk-in or appointment at the Durham County health department vaccination clinic at 414 E. Main St. in downtown Durham.
The clinic will be open from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays until 5:30 p.m.
Individuals can call 919-560-9217 for more information or to schedule an optional appointment or see the health department’s website at DCoPublicHealth.org/COVIDvaccines.
Orange County
To make an appointment call 919-913-8088 or go to https://takemyshot.nc.gov.
Vaccine shots are offered at:
▪ Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are accepted. The clinic is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All vaccines are available.
▪ Bonnie B. Davis Environment & Agricultural Center, 1020 US 70 W., Hillsborough. Appointments encouraged but walk-ins also accepted. The clinic is open Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Chatham County
The Chatham County Health Department is currently offering second booster shots of the Moderna vaccine on Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. by appointment. Its Siler City clinic is at 1000 S. 10th Ave.
Call 919-742-5641 for appointments.
Johnston County
The Johnston County Health Department will offer the booster shots and any other COVID-19 vaccines on a walk-in basis Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of Tuesdays until 6 p.m.
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 1:50 PM.
