Sep. 15—SOUTHERN INDIANA — Health officials are encouraging Southern Indiana residents to receive the new COVID-19 booster shot.

The bivalent booster doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are readily available in Clark and Floyd counties. The new boosters target both the original strains of COVID-19 and the Omicron variants.

The Moderna booster is available for people ages 18 or older, and the Pfizer booster is available for people ages 12 or older. To receive the booster, one must have received the primary series of vaccines and be at least two months out from their last COVID-19 shot.

Floyd County Health Officer Dr. Tom Harris said walk-ins are welcome at the Floyd County Health Department building at 1917 Bono Road 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"The CDC recommends the vaccine booster for basically everyone who is eligible," Harris said.

He noted recent technical issues with the state's Zotec scheduling site, which have prevented people from scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments using the ourshot.in.gov website.

The Floyd County Health Department is also planning clinics, including a drive-thru clinic Sept. 24 at Indiana University Southeast, and Harris aims to provide more pop-up clinics in different areas.

The Floyd County Health Department will join the Indiana Department of Health to administer booster shots at Harvest Homecoming in October. IDOH will be available Oct. 7-8 at the downtown New Albany festival, and the Floyd County Health Department will be available Oct. 9.

The department administered shots to nearly 200 people at a clinic last Saturday at IUS, he said.

The Clark County Health Department is encouraging people to make appointments directly with the local office due to the technical issues with the ourshot.in.gov website, according to health department administrator Doug Bentfield.

Vaccinations are available 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the health department's office at 1201 Wall St.

The department has scheduled a variety of times to make sure the vaccinations are available on the weekends and when people get off work, Bentfield said.

"We're happy to provide the vaccine to the community, and we want to be as accessible as possible" he said.

Walk-ins are also available at the Clark County Health Department, but scheduling ahead of time is recommended to avoid longer wait times. People are also encouraged to schedule regular childhood immunizations and flu shots when they go to the health department, Bentfield said.

The department has been seeing about 20 to 30 booster appointments per day, he said.

People can also dial 211 or 866-211-9966 for help with scheduling an appointment. Indiana 2-1-1 is a free service that connects residents with local resources. The boosters are also available at pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS and Meijers in Southern Indiana.

Harris and Bentfield said they are both seeing a steady uptake of shots, and both health departments have plenty of booster vaccines available.