Second COVID-19 booster doses are now available for people 50 and older and people 12 and older who are immunocompromised at Southern Nevada Health District vaccination clinics, officials said.
The Food and Drug Administration today authorized an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for that age group and for certain younger people with severely weakened immune systems.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later recommended the extra shot as an option but stopped short of urging that those eligible rush out and get it right away. That decision expands the additional booster to millions more Americans.
Those seeking a second booster dose must be at least four months out from their previous shot, officials said.
Moderna and Pfizer booster doses and are available to people regardless of which vaccine they originally received, with Pfizer authorized for people 12 and older and Moderna for those 18 and older.
“We know booster doses are continuing to provide people with protection against severe disease, hospitalizations and death,” Dr. Fermin Leguen, the district’s health officer, said in a statement. “Having the option to get an additional booster is significant for people who may be at higher risk for severe disease, especially if cases begin to increase.”
In addition to recommending first and second booster doses, the Health District encourages people who have not yet completed their initial vaccination series to do so, officials said.
Vaccines are available at Health District and community locations throughout Southern Nevada.
Additional COVID-19 resources and Health District vaccine clinic site locations are available at www.snhd.info/covid.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.