New COVID boosters: Should I get one? Where can I get one in Monroe County?

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are available. Here’s what you need to know.

Who should get the shot?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends “everyone 6 months and older” get a booster shot “to protect against the potentially serious outcomes” this fall and winter.

Dr. Tom Hrisomalos, a practicing infectious disease physician with Indiana University Health Bloomington, said people who are eligible should consider getting the booster.

It is most important that people get the vaccine if they are more vulnerable to severe disease outcomes, he said. That includes people over 65 and/or those who have chronic conditions, such as heart, kidney or lung disease or diabetes.

However, younger people, too, should consider getting the booster shot, because they can get seriously ill and/or may put other, more vulnerable people at risk, he said. In addition, people who have had the disease know what it’s like and may not want to go through the experience again and not miss work or school.

“Those are all good reasons for everyone else to be vaccinated,” said Hrisomalos, who also is the medical director of infection prevention at IUH Bloomington.

Where can I get the new COVID-19 booster?

Hrisomalos said the vaccines are available now at local physician offices and drug stores, including CVS, Kroger and Walmart. He encouraged people to call their doctors to see if the the shots are available. People also can schedule their flu shots at the same time.

You can also go to ourshot.in.gov or to vaccines.gov to get more information. The online scheduling tool at CVS, for example, showed available appointments for Saturday.

Kathy Hewett, public information officer for the Monroe County Health Department, said people also can call 812-353-3244 to schedule an appointment to get a shot at the local health clinic, at 333 E. Miller Drive, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The clinic is a partnership between the health department and IU Health. Hewett said via email staff expect the new booster to be available at the clinic Oct. 9. She said the clinic is getting about 30 to 40 calls daily from people interested in getting the vaccine, and Lindsay Shipley, an IU Health employee and public health nurse at the clinic, asked people to be patient.

How much does the new COVID-19 booster cost?

Shipley said via email COVID and flu vaccines are covered by most insurance companies or available for free to people who are uninsured or underinsured.

You can find out more about the CDC’s Bridge Access Program at tinyurl.com/4x77kws4 and about the Vaccines for Children program at tinyurl.com/5hc8u8k6.

Do I need a vaccine if I’ve had COVID-19 or gotten shots already?

Hrisomalos said the new vaccine targets the newer omicron variants of the virus. While the booster was conceived to prevent severe illness primarily against the variant that caused a lot of infections in spring, the new booster looks to have maintained its effectiveness against the latest variants.

“Fortunately it looks like it works very well … against the current omicron strains,” he said.

The CDC said, “If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past 2 months, get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself.”

How widely is COVID-19 spreading in Monroe County now? Are hospitals strained?

Hrisomalos said following COVID-19 cases today is much more difficult than at the height of the pandemic, because most people are testing at home. However, he said the number of phone calls the hospital receives as well as COVID-19 testing in wastewater suggests COVID-19 spread has spiked since the beginning of September.

Higher community spread has not, so far, produced an increase in hospitalizations. Those, Hrisomalos said, have ticked up only slightly.

Data from IU Health show the weekly number of inpatients with COVID-19 in Bloomington, Bedford and Paoli hospitals has gone no higher than 10.

“I think that the reason we’re not seeing an increase in hospitalizations … is because of prior vaccination … prior infections … and also, I think, because the omicron strains that we’re seeing now generally cause a milder illness,” Hrisomalos said.

All those factors combined mean the community is in “a much better place” than a couple of years ago, he said.

Should I wear a mask to protect myself against COVID-19?

For people who are at higher risk for severe illness — elderly and those with weakened immune systems or chronic illness — it would be “reasonable” to wear a mask in high-risk scenarios, such as crowded, indoor settings, Hrisomalos said.

Are the COVID-19 vaccines safe? Are there risks of side-effects?

According to the CDC, more than 672 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were given in the U.S. from Dec. 14, 2020, through March 1, 2023. The agency said the vaccines are safe and effective, and serious side effects are rare.

Hrisomalos said most people have mild side effects, such as a sore arm at the injection site or a low-grade fever, fatigue and chills.

The risk of serious side effects is “very, very low,” he said. He urged people to get information about the vaccine from medical providers — not from social media.

You can read more about vaccine safety at tinyurl.com/bdzy82bz.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: COVID booster shot information for Monroe County, Bloomington, Indiana