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Indiana to begin offering Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for eligible Hoosiers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State health officials will begin offering Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots to some Hoosiers.

The Indiana State Department of Health says the booster shots will be offered to Hoosiers based on criteria set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

  • Individuals ages 65 and older and residents of long-term care facilities should receive a booster dose.
  • Individuals ages 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions that put them at high risk of severe COVID-19 should receive a booster dose.
  • Individuals ages 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster dose, based on their individual benefits and risks.
  • Individuals ages 18 to 64 who are at high risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of an occupational or institutional risk of exposure may receive a booster shot based on their individual benefits and risks.

Boosters can be administered for individuals who previously received their second Pfizer does at least six months ago. Those who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines are not eligible.

Dr. Cole Beeler, an infectious disease physician and the director of infection prevention at Indiana University Hospital at IU Health, said, “The recommendation comes after months’ worth of data in the study of delta, showing that vaccine effectiveness with the delta variant worsens over time, meaning people who have had the vaccine in the more distant past have a higher probability of contracting the virus than individuals who have had the vaccine series more recently.”

You can register for an appointment here. When you arrive, you will need to attest that you meet the requirements above.

In a separate announcement, CVS said it will be administering the Pfizer booster at nearly 200 of its Indiana pharmacies. The drugstore chain said people will have to register for the shots on its website.

News 8’s David Williams contributed to this report.

CDC language on who’s eligible for boosters

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends:

  • People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series.
  • People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine atleast 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series.
  • People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.
  • People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.

The full news release is on the CDC’s website.