COVID-19 boosters, targeting the Omicron variants that are currently circulating, are expected to arrive at health departments in Northeast Ohio later this week or next, health officials said Thursday.
The announcement came a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to Pfizer and Moderna for their new boosters, which provide protection against the original strain of the virus and BA.4 and BA.5 variants.
That means that those new boosters could start shipping to states that pre-ordered the shots as early as Thursday, according to a Summit County Public Health (SCPH) media release.
SCPH said it pre-ordered new boosters from both Moderna and Pfizer and expects administration to possibly begin "soon after Labor Day."
Lake County also pre-ordered about 100 Moderna boosters, Lake County General Health District spokesperson Dyan Deenmeade confirmed.
Cuyahoga County also confirmed they placed a pre-order.
"We intend to offer them at our main office as well as at community clinics," a spokesperson wrote in an email.
Stark County said Friday it too was expecting to receive the new boosters "any day."
"Individuals can sign up like they did for any of our other COVID-19 vaccinations through ArmorVax.com or by calling 330-451-1681," according to the county, which normally administers COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesdays at the health department.
In Lake, Starks and Summit counties, officials said they are awaiting recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on who should receive the boosters. A CDC advisory committee is expected to meet today and tomorrow to discuss those specifics, according to SCPH. A committee vote and a signature from the CDC's director are required before the boosters can be administered.
Once the CDC guidelines are available, Lake County will finalize a distribution plan, said Deenmeade.
The Summit County health department will announce clinic dates once the boosters arrive, according to the media release. The boosters in both counties will be by appointment only.
Pharmacies and primary care doctors will also have doses of the booster, Deenmeade said.
A spokesperson for CVS confirmed the pharmacy chain expects to begin receiving supply "on a rolling basis" over the next few days.
The new Pfizer booster is authorized for people ages 12 and older; Moderna's, is for those 18 and up, the SCPH department said. People can choose which one to receive regardless of which primary series or first booster they received. Patients will be able to get the new booster two months after their last primary or booster dose of any vaccine.
Health officials in Summit County said they expect authorization to give the new booster to people under age 12 soon, but do not know when, the release said. SCPH is encouraging parents to have their children complete the primary vaccine series and the first booster to ensure they are eligible for the new booster when it becomes available.
Ideastream Public Media has reached out to other county health departments in the region, and will update this article as we receive information.
