JCCHS offering booster shots of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

WARRENSBURG — Johnson County Community Health Services, in accordance with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ (DHSS) amended state’s standing order, is offering booster shots for those who qualify.

JCCHS offers COVID-19 vaccines every Wednesday during a Walk-in Wednesday COVID Vaccine Clinic from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the JCCHS building at 723 PCA Road, Warrensburg. No appointment is needed.

In addition, JCCHS is hosting a walk-in COVID Vaccine Clinic from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the Community Activity Center in Holden.

During all clinics, qualifying individuals can receive:

• First or second dose of either Pfizer or Moderna.
• A third dose of the same brand of COVID-19 vaccine for those with certain medical conditions that suppress the immune system. The term third dose refers to people with severely compromised immune systems who may not have gotten the level of protection they need from the first two doses. The third dose provides that level of immunity.
• A booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine. A booster shot is recommended due to concern that the effectiveness of the vaccine decreases over time and may not protect against a new strain, such as delta.

Following federal guidance issued from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the DHSS has amended Missouri’s standing order for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine administration. 

Missourians who received the Pfizer vaccine can receive a booster shot at least six months after their initial series based on CDC guidance:

• People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster.
• People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster.
• People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster.
• People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting (e.g. frontline medical workers, teachers and first responders) may receive a booster.

The list of medical conditions categorized as high-risk by the CDC is available at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html.

Missourians with an underlying medical condition are encouraged to speak with their healthcare provider about whether a booster shot is right for them.

Federal health experts are still reviewing data from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) and will decide when recipients may be eligible for a booster shot. JCCHS will be ready to administer Moderna booster shots when they are recommended.