Nov 23

Nov 23 Booster shots now available for all adults in Olmsted County

News | 2021

In line with the latest recommendation from the CDC, local health organizations have begun offering Covid-19 booster shots to all adults.

Olmsted County Public Health said Tuesday it will be scheduling booster clinics and contacting eligible individuals originally vaccinated through the department. The department recommends every individual older than 18 receive their booster as soon as they are eligible.

For those who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, that means getting boosted at least six months after completing the primary vaccinations series. For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, it is appropriate to get a booster at least two months after receiving the initial dose, according to the CDC.

In addition to Olmsted County Public Health, Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center have also expanded eligibility for booster shoots.

Study: boosters provide 11 times more protection

The CDC’s decision to expand eligibility for booster shots comes amid surging infection rates across portions of the country, including Minnesota.

Although initial vaccination remains effective in preventing severe disease, recent data from the CDC suggests the vaccines become less effective over time at preventing infection or milder illness with symptoms.

This lower effectiveness, according to public health officials, is “likely due to the combination of decreasing protection as time passes since getting vaccinated, as well as the greater infectiousness of the delta variant.”

One recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that people in Israel who received a Pfizer Covid-19 booster shot were 11 times more protected from infection, compared to those who have completed their initial two-dose vaccination series.

"Getting a booster vaccination increases your protection against a breakthrough case of Covid-19, and increases your safety, as well as the safety of family members, friends, colleagues, patients, visitors and community members, during the holiday season,” said Dr. Abinash Virk, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic.