New COVID 'bivalent' boosters available for children ages 5 to 11 in St. Joseph County

New booster vaccines targeting the original virus that causes COVID-19 and two of its widespread variants are now available for children ages 5 to 11 at several places in St. Joseph County.

Last week federal regulators authorized the updated "bivalent" booster shots for the age group. The updated formula targets omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 as well as the virus's original strain. Pediatricians strongly recommend almost all children receive the booster in addition to the two-dose primary COVID vaccine.

While the first two vaccine doses were protective early in the pandemic, studies showed a third shot was needed to provide strong protection against severe disease from the omicron variant, which first appeared around last Thanksgiving.

Adults are told to wait three months after an infection before getting a booster. Children are to wait at least two months after a previous infection or COVID-19 vaccine to get the booster, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

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County availability

The St. Joseph County Department of Health received Pfizer bivalent doses for children ages 5 to 11 on Tuesday, Health Officer Bob Einterz said. It also offers the recently authorized bivalent vaccine for anyone 12 or older.

The department's COVID vaccine clinic runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 8:30-11 a.m. on Saturdays on the ninth floor of the County-City Building in downtown South Bend. Primary vaccines are available for everyone 6 months and older.

Online appointments are encouraged through vaccines.gov or the Indiana Department of Health website, but Einterz said walk-ins are accepted.

Flu vaccines are available at the immunization clinic in the County-City Building on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and at the County-Services Building in Mishawaka on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Local pharmacies, health providers

According to a regularly updated map available through vaccines.gov, the Walgreens stores on Ironwood Drive and Ireland Road offer the new Pfizer bivalent dose while local pharmacies in Meijer and CVS Pharmacy stores offer the Moderna version.

The new Pfizer-BioNTech booster is the same as the one available for older children and adults, just at a lower dose: 10 micrograms instead of the adult 30 microgram dose. The Moderna booster dose for children ages 6 to 11 is 25 micrograms.

Meijer stores on Portage Road in South Bend and on Grape Road in Mishawaka both offer the newly authorized Moderna bivalent vaccine for children 6 and older. CVS Pharmacy is offering the same shot at its stores on Main Street in Mishawaka and on Ireland Road in South Bend. Appointments can be made through vaccines.gov.

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Saint Joseph Health System in Mishawaka also reports it has the new Moderna bivalent shot. Memorial Hospital in downtown South Bend currently lists only the bivalent vaccine for anyone 12 and older.

Because availability can fluctuate, it's recommended to call ahead to any site for an appointment.

New variants emerge

At the same time, several new variants of the virus are starting to account for significant portions of infections. Doctors and researchers have predicted more robust mixes of variants to replace the preponderance of one dominant strain as the virus continues to mutate freely in the absence of sufficient efforts to mitigate transmission.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates almost a third of new infections in the United States are currently caused by the new variants.

The bivalent booster is expected to be effective against this wave, but the original batch of vaccines is not.

Status of COVID-19 locally

Einterz said incidence of COVID in St. Joseph County has steadily fallen from higher levels recorded over the summer.

The seven-day average of new cases has fallen substantially and as of Tuesday was 63 per 100,000 people, according to a dashboard tracking the data. But the county still carries "substantial" risk of transmission because only 57.8% of residents are vaccinated.

The health officer said it's difficult to predict the next few months. But experts generally assume people will gather indoors more often during colder weather and increase the spread of both COVID-19 and the flu.

Experts advise people to receive both vaccines by the end of October. It takes about two weeks for the vaccines, which have been found extremely safe, to become fully effective after a shot. Health officials say it's safe to receive the shot alongside an influenza vaccine ahead of flu season.

“There seems no question that COVID will be with us now for many, many years, many, many decades," Einterz told The Tribune.

"I don’t see COVID going away, but that being said," he added, "I think we need not be as fearful of the disease as we were a couple years ago when we had no immunization, no way to prevent it, no way to treat it. It’s a different world now.”

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: St. Joseph County COVID bivalent boosters for children ages 5 to 11