CVS Health offering booster shot to eligible populations

Chad Corey

(ABC 6 News) – CVS Health announced Friday that select CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations are now offering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot to eligible populations beginning today, Friday, September 24.

Following guidelines set by ACIP and CDC:

  • People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series
  • People aged 50 to 64 with certain underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series
  • People 18 to 49 who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 due to certain underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risk
  • People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series

Individuals who initially received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine are not eligible for a booster at this time, per guidance from the public health agencies.

Individuals interested in receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster or their initial vaccine series are strongly encouraged to make an appointment at CVS.com or MinuteClinic.com to ensure they are able to access the correct vaccine at a convenient time and location.

Currently, each participating CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic location is offering either the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine, not all three.

When scheduling an appointment on cvs.com, patients will be asked to provide the manufacturer and date of their last COVID-19 vaccine and will be able to schedule an appointment for a Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose if they have had two previous doses with the same vaccine at least six months prior. Per guidance from the CDC, patients will be asked to self-attest to their eligibility as defined by the eligibility guidelines, to help reduce barriers to access for these select populations.

CVS Health has administered more than 34 million COVID-19 vaccines and 32 million COVID-19 tests across the country to-date. The company has played a prominent role in administering third doses to the immunocompromised and is prepared to provide booster shots from other manufacturers, as well as expand vaccine eligibility to ages 5-11, as soon as authorized to do so by public health agencies.