October 23rd, 2021 by WCBC Radio

On Thursday, the long-awaited approval for booster doses of both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines was officially announced by the CDC.  On the heels of that news, the Allegany County Health Department has announced two Moderna vaccine booster clinics to be held next week at the Allegany County Fairgrounds.  Those clinics are by appointment only and will be held Tuesday, October 26 and Wednesday, October 27 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

As with the Pfizer booster, only certain categories of individuals are eligible for the Moderna booster at this time.  In order to qualify, individuals must have received their initial vaccine series at least six months ago and fit into one of the following classifications:

• 65 years and older
• Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
• Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
• Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings

 

Eligible individuals must pre-register for an appointment by visiting health.maryland.gov/allegany.  Moderna vaccine boosters may also be available from your local pharmacy, urgent care clinic, or primary care provider.

 

In a release Thursday, the CDC also announced that Johnson & Johnson recipients age 18 or older whose initial vaccination was two or more months ago are also eligible for a COVID vaccine booster. These individual may choose Moderna, Pfizer, or J&J for their COVID booster.

 

“The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe – as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given.  And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating Delta variant,” stated CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H. 

 

Allegany County COVID-19 Case and Vaccination Statistics as of October 21:

• New COVID Cases:  45 (cumulative total 9,643)
• Additional Deaths:  1 (cumulative total 245)
• Cases Per 100,000 Population:  29.62 (Maryland: 13.5)
• Positivity Rate:  5.33% (Maryland: 3.21%)
• Percent of population fully vaccinated:  46.2% (Maryland: 65.9%)