You may be eligible for another COVID booster shot. Here’s why and where to get one

Chyna Blackmon
·2 min read
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Some people in North Carolina may be eligible to receive a second COVID-19 booster dose.

The Center for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently announced additional vaccine recommendations.

NCDHHS said everyone older than 6 months would only get the updated bivalent vaccine. Health officials explained that the shot protects against newer variants.

Following the CDC’s new recommendations, adults 65 and older and those immunocompromised can also get extra protection with an additional dose of the vaccine.

“These changes are an important step toward the future for COVID-19 vaccines as we shift to regular routines that include the most up-to-date protection against the virus, similar to the annual flu shot,” Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. “If you have not had a COVID-19 vaccine since September of 2022, you are most likely due for an updated dose.”

The CDC recommends that everyone six years and older get the bivalent vaccine, regardless of whether they were fully vaccinated.

Right now, COVID vaccines are still free. NCDHHS noted that could change when they soon become available, like flu shots and other routine vaccinations.

About 63% of the state’s population has completed their initial COVID vaccine series, and about 68% have received at least one dose, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

“Out of all people who have finished their initial vaccines in North Carolina, 59% have been vaccinated with at least one booster, and 22% with an updated omicron booster,” the health department stated.

Where to get a COVID vaccine in Charlotte

To get a COVID vaccine, you can find a provider at MySpot.nc.gov or visit ncdhhs.gov/LHD to contact the local health department.

NCDHHS has closed its community testing sites, The Observer previously reported, but there are multiple ways to get free home test kits:

  • Project ACT offers free, rapid test kits to NC residents through June.

  • The Biden administration’s federal program for free at-home test kits allows households to order a set of four tests through the United States Postal Service.

  • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Concentric by Gingko are giving out five free test kits that can be ordered every 30 days through July.