Kansas’ bivalent COVID booster rate is just 15.8%. These counties have lowest uptake

Jackie Starkey
Howard Cohen/hcohen@miamiherald.com

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently proposed a move to annual COVID-19 vaccines for most Americans, similar to the model used for flu shots, though many individuals have not received the latest version.

In January, the federal agency outlined the proposal in briefing paperwork, though it was questioned by an advisory committee given the relative new nature of the virus, national outlets report.

Federal health officials are strategizing on how to move forward with vaccine recommendations following slow national uptake of the bivalent booster.

Across the U.S., the vaccination rate for the updated booster, which became available in September, is just 15.7% (or 16.6% among those ages 5 and older), compared to 81% of Americans who received at least one dose and 69.2% who completed the primary series.

In Kansas, the bivalent booster rate is similar to the nation as a whole. Here, 15.8% of state residents ages 5 and older have received the omicron shot, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data current through Feb. 1.

The state’s rate for at least a single shot is lower than the U.S., at 76.1%, while 65.2% of Kansans have completed the primary series.

The bivalent shot, with an updated formula to better protect against omicron and other, newer strains of the coronavirus, was made available to many Americans last fall. Nationwide, 52 million people have gotten the updated vaccine.

Bivalent booster rate by Kansas county

CDC data through Feb. 1 indicate the five counties with the lowest rate of uptake on the bivalent booster are:

  1. Ford County, 3.7% bivalent dose rate (1,140 doses)

  2. Seward County, 3.9% bivalent dose rate (753 doses)

  3. Thomas County, 4.8% bivalent booster rate (344 doses)

  4. Morton County, 5.2% bivalent dose rate (127 doses)

  5. Stevens County, 5.4% bivalent dose rate (279 doses)

Note: This graphic will automatically update as new data become available.

Kansas counties leading on bivalent vaccination rate are:

  1. Douglas County, 25.9% bivalent dose rate (30,166 doses)

  2. Johnson County, 24.7% bivalent dose rate (139,268 doses)

  3. Shawnee County, 18.5% bivalent dose rate (30,777 doses)

  4. Harvey County, 16.8% bivalent dose rate (5,468 doses)

  5. Brown County, 16.5% bivalent dose rate (1,473 doses)

Sedgwick County’s bivalent dose rates sits at 12.4%, according to the latest data, well below the state’s rate.

Eligibility and finding the bivalent booster near you

The bivalent shot became available to those ages 12 and older in September, ages 5 to 11 in October and for those younger than 5 in December.

According to federal health officials, you qualify for the updated booster shot if you:

  • Are 5 years or older and got your last COVID-19 vaccine more than two months ago.

  • Children ages 6 months to 4 years must have completed the Moderna primary series and must have not gotten a dose in the last two months.

You can receive the vaccine if you have had a COVID infection, as it provides additional protection against severe illness from reinfection.

If you are aged 12 or older and have not received a dose since before September, you are likely eligible for the bivalent booster. If you are unsure, contact your health care provider.

Guidance differs for those who are immunocompromised.

To find a vaccine provider near you, visit vaccines.gov.

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