Third vaccine shot expected as booster

Following announcements by the White House and surgeon general Aug. 18, Delaware is moving forward with plans to offer a third-shot booster shot to people who got the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Plans are to offer booster shots beginning Sept. 20 to people 18 and older who received their last shot eight months earlier, going beyond a previous announcement to give boosters to the immunocompromised population, said Division of Public Health officials.

At this time, officials said, no large-scale events are planned, and anyone interested in the booster shots when they become available should contact their physician, pharmacy, or DPH or community vaccination site.

The booster program is not for those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, officials said, but that could change.

During a White House briefing Aug. 18, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said he thinks a booster shot will be expected for the J&J vaccine. 

“The J&J vaccine was not administered in the U.S. until March of 2021, and we expect more data on J&J in the coming weeks. With those data in hand, we will keep the public informed with a timely plan for J&J booster shots,” he said.

On Aug. 19, Delaware’s vaccination rate for people 18 and older who had received one shot was about 75 percent – 57 percent of the total population.

The number of people hospitalized hit 152 on Aug. 17 with 24 in critical care, and the weekly average of new positive cases was 289. On Aug. 15, the percent of positive tests averaged 7.4 percent over the week.

For more information on the vaccine, contact the DPH Vaccine Call Center at 1-833-643-1715 or Vaccine@delaware.gov.