COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio officials are reviewing the federal government’s announcement that booster shots will begin this fall, Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said Wednesday.
What You Need To Know
- The Ohio Department of Health is reviewing plans for third vaccine doses
- Federal officials announced that booster shots will begin Sept. 20
- COVID-19 vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe illness
“This morning, the White House outlined a plan to offer booster doses of the two mRNA vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, for fully vaccinated adults 18 and older, eight months after their second-dose vaccine,” Vanderhoff said.
The U.S. will begin administering booster shots on Sept. 20, which Vanderhoff said will be a months-long process. The first Ohioans to get booster shots will be the first who received vaccine doses last winter, during the phased rollout when the availability of vaccines was limited.
In the initial weeks following the Sept. 20 start date, booster shots will be available to residents of long-term care facilities and health care workers, as well as seniors.
Ohio is prepared to build on its existing vaccine infrastructure to once again administer vaccine doses to millions of residents.
“We are very confident that we'll be able to meet the needs of people as their turn comes,” Vanderhoff said. “Long story short, we have been actively preparing for this potential, and I think we're fairly well prepared.”
State officials are awaiting further guidance about booster shots from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The news should not be taken as an indication that the vaccines have become ineffective, Vanderhoff said. Acknowledging a recent rise in fully vaccinated people getting mild infections, Vanderhoff said the vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe illness.
“Since there are some early indications that there might be some waning immunity to the mild to moderate illness, let's take that as a cue to go get a booster,” Vanderhoff said. “Looking at some of that early emerging data about less severe illness, which the vaccines are by design not as good at addressing, that abundance of caution is leading to this preliminary recommendation.”