SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — Public health officials took to Facebook this week to answer questions about COVID-19 vaccine booster shots during a live stream.
Health Commissioner Donna Skoda said a recent surge in cases is peaking, and concerning.
“Unfortunately, it filled up our hospitals and we have seen a significant increase in the death rate,” Skoda said. “We know that the vaccine remains the most effective way to avoid getting really sick and to avoid getting COVID. And we really need to have people take advantage of this.”
The vaccine will soon be approved for children 5-11 of age, and it’s important to protect them in the meantime, she said.
Skoda reiterated the three approaches to staying well: Wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing.
She noted that many people aren’t wearing masks now, and advised that wearing a mask can also help ward off the flu.
As for how long we’ll be expected to wear masks, there’s no “magic day,” Skoda said.
“I think what you have to do is assess your risk, and who you’re around and who you’re exposed to,” she said. Wearing a mask can help protect the most vulnerable, especially for people who care for an elderly person, or have kids in school, she said.
And even though the chance of carrying the disease is lower if you are vaccinated, that chance still exists, she said.
“So you just have to sort of think about the risk and then think about what risk you’re willing to accept,” she said.
All three vaccine brands — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have boosters available, according to Public Health Medical Director Dr. Erica Sobolewski.
Qualifications to receive a booster include:
- People 65 and older
- People 18 and older living in a long-term care facility
- Those with underlying chronic health conditions
- Those who are high risk because of work or environmental exposure
A Johnson & Johnson booster is approved for anyone 18 or older, two months after the initial dose, Sobolewski said.
There’s some confusion about the difference between a booster shot and a third shot of the vaccine, she said.
Both Pfizer and Moderna offer a two-shot series to give people initial immunity, but the drug-makers found a third shot is beneficial for people who are immunocompromised, she said.
The booster shot is helpful when antibodies from the initial series begin to wane, she said.
“So that boosts that response to awaken your immune system and you have that increase to protect yourself,” she said.
To get COVID-19 booster, or a third shot for those with a weakened immune system, residents don’t have to go back to the location where they were initially treated, Skoda said. Vaccines are readily available now at many pharmacies, hospitals and physician offices.
Officials don’t anticipate the need to set up mass-vaccine sites again, she said, such as those offered at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland and Summit County Fairgrounds in Tallmadge.
When getting a booster or third shot, residents should bring the vaccination cards that were given to them when they received their initial shots, and expect to be given another card, Sobolewski said.
As far as mixing brands of the vaccine, Sobolewski advised people to stay with the brand originally administered as much as possible, but changing brands is not a problem.
Those who had a reaction to the drug should speak with their doctor about the possibility of switching brands, she said.
“If there is a reason to switch, then there’s that ability to do so,” she said. “All the vaccines are good. They all have very good vaccine efficacy. And sometimes it’s matching apples and oranges with one or the other.”
COVID-19 booster shots will be available at the Summit County Public Health drive-through clinic at 1867 W. Market St. The clinic runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Wednesday through Nov. 17.
To find out whether you qualify for a COVID-19 booster, check out the Ohio Department of Health’s online questionnaire.
