With a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel signing off late Thursday on updated COVID-19 boosters, the city of Chicago is in line to receive about 150,000 initial doses of the new shots, which target omicron subvariants. That means health care workers could begin to administer the vaccine boosters as soon as next week. Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady briefed reporters last week, and again Tuesday with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, on why Chicagoans should get their shot and who is likely eligible.

Who can get this booster?

Anyone who got a previous booster or completed their primary vaccine series (the initial two-dose regimen of Pfizer or Moderna or the single Johnson & Johnson shot) at least two months ago is eligible for a new booster. The updated Pfizer booster is available for anyone who is at least 12, while Moderna’s is available for anyone 18 and older.

“So if it’s been two months since you either finished your primary series or got any of that older booster, you are good to go. If you just got a booster two weeks ago you should wait two months,” Arwady said.

About 1.8 million Chicagoans should be eligible, since about 77% of Chicagoans over 12 have received their primary series, Arwady said.

Patients can “mix-and-match mRNA brands” for their first shots, previous boosters and this updated vaccine, the city said in a release.

The city is encouraging Chicagoans to get their flu shot at the same time to prepare for a potential COVID-19 surge and the regular flu season.

Should I wait to receive the updated vaccine if I recently had COVID-19?

Arwady, who recently had COVID-19, said you are not required to wait any length of time after a recent COVID-19 infection to receive your booster. The CDC says you can consider waiting up to three months from your most recent infection to receive it, though. Given Arwady tested positive in late August, she said she would “definitely” get her updated vaccine before the end of November. Should variants emerge more quickly, Arwady encouraged those waiting to move their timeline up. “If we start to see the virus changing again, I’ll get it sooner than that.”

Are there priority groups this time?

In previous vaccination rounds, officials sometimes mandated only certain groups — such as front-line health care workers and those with critical illnesses — be first in line. Arwady said the city is not expecting the federal government to mandate priority groups. “Obviously the groups of highest concern are older Chicagoans, so we are prioritizing making sure people in long-term care, people in hospitals, people are getting cancer care, senior centers, etc.” are getting vaccinated first. “This is partly because the federal government nationwide has told us they anticipate being able to ship about 20 times more vaccine per week than they could in the initial vaccine rollout.”

Where are the doses going?

Sites are vaccinating starting today. About half of the doses in the first week will go to 90 retail pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens across Chicago, and 170 pharmacy locations are expected to receive vaccines over the next week. Walgreens and CVS are already taking appointment requests at their websites or on their mobile apps.

The other half of the city’s vaccine allocation will go to health care facilities such as hospitals. The city is also working with the Chicago Housing Authority, Department of Family and Support Services Senior Centers and Chicago Public Schools to get doses out. The city will also hold some clinics at City Colleges locations and expand vaccine clinics as they receive more doses.

For those who need help finding a site to get their shot, Vaccines.gov is a free online service that you can use to search for pharmacies and providers that offer vaccinations. Residents can also call the City’s COVID-19 call center at 312-746-4835.

Why get a booster now?

This booster shot is “the best possible match” to fight the most dominant strains of the virus present in the Midwest right now: BA.4 and BA. 5, Arwady said. Those two make up roughly 99.9% of current infections. If the virus mutates further, this booster could be less effective to fight it. “We very much are going to want people to get this updated vaccine now, not to wait three and four months.”

Like the most recent boosters, this round should protect most people who receive it against hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Arwady is “also hopeful that it will have significant improvement against some of these breakthrough infections as well” and reduce the ability for the virus to mutate into a different variant.

Can I still get the original booster?

For most people, no. “With this new authorization, the monovalent — meaning the old version — (is) not authorized anymore as booster doses,” Arwady said. “So anybody over the age of 12 who’s looking for a booster, this is the one that they’re going to get. Individuals 5 to 11 can still get the original booster.”

Will it still be free?

Yes, though Arwady presumes this will be the last vaccine available regardless of insurance status, because there hasn’t been additional funding approved for vaccine distribution.

aquig@chicagotribune.com