Moderna vaccine, booster clinic opening today in Lake Hallie

The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·3 min read

Oct. 29—LAKE HALLIE — The Eau Claire City-County Health Department will begin operating a Moderna-only COVID-19 vaccine and booster clinic at Jacob's Well Church, 3211 N. 50th Ave., Lake Hallie, on Fridays starting today, the department announced.

The clinic will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will offer the Moderna vaccine for first, second, third or booster doses.

The site will be open for additional days and times by mid-November, the department said in a news release.

The department is opening the Jacob's Well site — which earlier this year served as a mass vaccination site for initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine — in response to "increased demand for vaccines." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week formally recommended booster shots be offered to certain eligible people who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. (Eligible Pfizer recipients have already been approved to get a booster shot.)

People wishing to get a booster shot or initial COVID-19 vaccine at the Jacob's Well site are strongly encouraged to make an appointment by visiting ecvaccine.as.me or by calling 715- 839-4718. Walk-ins will also be accepted as staffing allows, the department said.

For Moderna or Pfizer recipients to be eligible for a booster, they must:

* Be 65 or older

* Be 18 or older and live or work in a high-risk setting. This includes first responders and people who work in education, food and agriculture, corrections, manufacturing, public transit or grocery stores.

* Be 18 or older who live in a long-term care setting, like a nursing home, assisted living facility or housing for people with disabilities

* Be 18 or older and have one or more specific underlying medical conditions listed by the CDC. That list includes but isn't limited to moderate to severe asthma, heart conditions, cancer, diabetes, obesity, dementia, chronic lung, liver or kidney diseases and also includes people who smoke or have substance abuse disorders or who are pregnant, overweight or immunocompromised.

Moderna and Pfizer recipients must also be at least six months out from their primary dose series to get a booster shot.

Different from a booster, Pfizer or Moderna recipients who have a moderately to severely weakened immune system can get a third dose 28 days after their second dose.

People who initially received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can get a booster shot if they're 18 or older and were vaccinated two or more months ago, the CDC said.

"The data are very clear that these vaccines greatly reduce the chance of getting sick, being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19," said Lieske Giese, director of the health department, in a statement. "Research also shows that over time, another dose can help to boost the protection from your initial dose. With a little patience, everyone who is eligible and wants a booster will get one."

The health department also holds weekly vaccine clinics on Tuesday evenings at the Eau Claire County Courthouse, 721 Oxford Ave., Eau Claire. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be offered at those clinics.

To find a COVID-19 vaccine at another site, visit vaccines.gov.