New COVID boosters for omicron variants are available in Kansas City. Here’s how to get one
The new bivalent COVID-19 booster shots are now available in the Kansas City area. These recently approved shots are designed to protect against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the omicron strain as well as the original version of COVID-19.
The recent CDC and FDA approval of the new boosters removed the recommendation for the original booster shots for those 12 and older. That means that all future booster shot appointments should provide the new bivalent booster, according to the CDC. For now, the original boosters are still the recommended option for children.
Here’s where and how to get one of the new shots in our area.
When and where can I get a bivalent booster shot?
Many large chain pharmacies are already offering COVID-19 bivalent booster doses, but you will need to check with your pharmacy of choice to confirm they have boosters in stock. Most are encouraging patients to make appointments because, for now, supplies are limited. Pharmacies will continue to stock up over the coming weeks and months.
Any Pfizer or Moderna boosters that these locations list for anyone 12 or older should be the new bivalent booster doses, since the recent authorization for the bivalent booster removed the recommendation for the original booster.
Check availability and make an appointment to get boosted here:
To find a list of clinics, health departments and hospitals that are set to receive booster shipments within the next week in Missouri, check this link. You will have to contact your chosen location individually to ensure their shipment has arrived before you make an appointment. In Kansas City, you can also check this page.
If you’re located in Kansas, boosters are expected to arrive at local clinics next week, according to KDHE spokesperson Philip Harris. However, you can find some clinics in the Kansas City metro area here, including ones on the Kansas side of the state line.
“Individuals (in Kansas) are encouraged to check the Vaccines.gov website for locations near them that are providing COVID-19 vaccines and boosters,” Harris said. “They can also check with their primary health care provider or the local health department in their community.”
Johnson County’s health department expects to receive boosters next week.
“Updated COVID-19 boosters are expected to arrive at Johnson County Department of Health and Environment’s walk-in clinics the week of Sept. 12,” the county wrote in a Wednesday press release. “The boosters will not be available for ages 12 and older at the walk-in clinics until the new shipment arrives, as the original booster formulation is no longer authorized for this age group.”
We’ll update this article when we learn more specifics about which locations have boosters available.
Who is eligible for a bivalent booster shot?
If you are 12 years old or older, you are eligible to get a bivalent booster two months after your most recent vaccine or booster. You can get the bivalent shot as your first, second or even third booster dose depending on how many you have received already.
If you’ve recently been infected with COVID-19, the CDC recommends you wait three months before obtaining the bivalent booster.
Not sure when or whether to get a booster? Use the CDC’s booster tool on this page.
These new boosters are not being restricted to those with compromised immune systems. However, if you have never been vaccinated against COVID-19, you will need to get an initial round of vaccination before you can get one of these new boosters.
How many boosters will be available in Kansas City?
The federal government has already ordered around 171 million doses of the new bivalent booster shots.
Missouri has an allocation of 68,300 doses in the first “batch” from the federal government, and 91,200 in the following “batch,” according to the state health department.
Kansas currently has access to 74,400 doses, according to the state health department.
What does “bivalent” mean?
A “bivalent” vaccine protects against two diseases, or two strains of the same disease. In this case, the two strains tackled by these new booster shots are the original COVID-19 and an omicron strain that represents an overlap between the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
Including protection for the original version of COVID-19 in this booster may help defend against future variants that have more in common with the first virus version than with omicron.
Is it true that the new boosters were only tested on mice?
So far, yes. The FDA’s emergency use authorization is allowing the new bivalent boosters onto the market without requiring human clinical trials first. That’s because the new vaccine is extremely similar to previous vaccines, and was made in the same way.
While some worry that the lack of human trials could lead to skepticism about this booster, the FDA’s approval is meant to get the new boosters into arms before a new variant overtakes the current BA.4 and BA.5 strains. It isn’t uncommon to approve new versions of vaccines without extensive human testing — in fact, that’s why a new flu shot is ready every year around flu season.
How do we know the new boosters work?
The FDA considered data from three sources when approving the new boosters for emergency use: clinical data showing the effectiveness of the original COVID vaccines, clinical data showing the effectiveness of a BA.1 variant vaccine currently being approved in the UK, and lab data on mRNA vaccines designed to fight the omicron variant.
“Based on the data supporting each of these authorizations, the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are expected to provide increased protection against the currently circulating omicron variant,” the agency wrote in its Wednesday press release.
Do you have more questions about staying safe from COVID-19 in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
