A Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccine is administered to Chen Knifsend at a vaccine clinic in San Rafael, California.
State officials from California to Maine are telling their adult residents to get a Covid-19 vaccine booster, bucking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reserve the shots for the elderly and other high-risk groups.
Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia are all promoting the widespread use of boosters for fully-vaccinated adults. New York and Rhode Island are asking adults in high-exposure areas to get boosted, while New Jersey and Minnesota are planning to do the same. California wants medical providers to not turn away adults who request a booster.
Pfizer and Moderna recipients at least six months after completing their first two shots were approved for third doses by the CDC. Adults with medical conditions known for causing Covid complications, as well as those 65 and older, are included. Boosters are available for adult Johnson & Johnson recipients at least two months after getting their vaccine.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said that the vaccine effectiveness degrades over time and that is the reason for the booster. Everyone that is 18 and over is encouraged to get the booster.
More than 247,000 Arkansas residents received an additional dose of Covid-19 on Thursday, according to the state's online dashboard. The majority of adults in Arkansas were already considered high risk by the CDC before Hutchinson issued his recommendation, according to an email from the Arkansas Department of Health.
All adults in West Virginia should register for a booster shot, according to the governor. Over 53,400 West Virginia residents have received their booster doses, according to the Department of Health and Human Resources.
If you are 18 years of age, you can get your booster shot, Justice said.
The governors of Colorado and New Mexico made executive orders last week to make it easier to get booster access. The latest data shows that more than 300,000 people in New Mexico and Colorado have gotten a booster.
The Delta variant is more transmissible than previous versions, according to the acting health secretary. Several of our hospitals have declared Crisis Standards of Care.
The Department of Health and Human Services reported that as of Thursday, almost all of New Mexico's intensive care beds were occupied. Almost all of Colorado's intensive care units were full with 42% devoted to virus patients.
Kentucky followed suit on Wednesday with an executive order approving boosters for adults, while Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont all expanded their booster programs this week without resorting to an official order.
New York and Rhode Island haven't gone as far as allowing all their residents to get boosted, but they're calling on anyone facing increased danger of contracting Covid to protect themselves with another shot. The New York City Health Commissioner directed doctors and pharmacists to give boosters to any adult who asks for one.
The director of Rhode Island's Department of Health said Tuesday that the cases have gone up. Everyone 18 and older is at higher risk of exposure, so we want the message to go out that you can get your booster shot.
The Department of Public Health in California has issued new guidance asking medical providers to give a booster to any adult who needs it.
The officials in Minnesota and New Jersey said this week that they would simplify their criteria. Pfizer and Moderna are applying to the FDA for permission to give their boosters to Americans 18 and older.
The FDA could approve Pfizer's booster for all adults this week. The final approval from the CDC will allow fully-vaccinated adults to start receiving the shots before Thanksgiving.
Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said at a Covid briefing Tuesday that they are preparing to expand looser eligibility if there is no action at the federal level.
