Doses of the new COVID-19 booster vaccine that specifically targets the omicron variant are expected to arrive at any moment this week for the vaccine clinic run by Doctors Hospital at Renaissance.
In its first shipment of the new bivalent vaccine — expected to arrive Tuesday or Wednesday — DHR Health will receive 9,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, according to Sherri Abendroth, the director of emergency preparedness and response for DHR Health.
“The word that we got was, when we pre-ordered, was that once (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) both approved, our pre-order would be packaged and shipped,” Abendroth said. “So with the Labor Day holiday, I think everything got delayed just a little bit … I’m hoping that it ships and it’ll be here later today or tomorrow.”
The new vaccine is bivalent, meaning it includes two vaccine formulations — the original and the new formulation that targets the latest omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5.
Anyone 12 or older is eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine, while individuals must be 18 or older to receive the Moderna vaccine.
The only criteria for either of those updated booster vaccines is that at least two months must have passed since they received their previous dose.
Possible side effects for the updated booster are similar to those experienced from the original vaccine.
With the release of the updated boosters, the FDA rescinded the emergency use authorization for the previous booster shots with the original Pfizer and Moderna formula, according to the FDA.
“So as of today, we cannot give any booster doses until we receive the new vaccine,” Abendroth said. “We can still give primary doses, first and second.”
As of Monday, a total of 1.6 million people in the Rio Grande Valley had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine while 1.1 million had been fully vaccinated. Less than half — about 447,000 — have received at least one booster shot.
Once the updated boosters are available, individuals will be able to obtain it at pharmacies, clinics, and other health care providers throughout the area.
Anyone interested in receiving it at the DHR clinic can stop by Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, the clinic will be closed on Thurs., Sept. 8.
The clinic is located at the Edinburg Activity Center at 123 Mark S. Pena Drive, also known as East Palm Drive.
