Second booster shot now available for some Wilmington residents. Here's how to get yours

Two years, hundreds of cases and three vaccines later, some Wilmington residents are now eligible to get a fourth vaccine to protect them against the coronavirus.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control approved a second booster dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as of March for anyone 50 years old and older and some people who are immunocompromised.

The doses became available to New Hanover County residents on March 31, after receiving approval from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The additional booster, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, has become critical for older populations, particularly anyone over 65 and certain people over 50 who have underlying conditions that could lead to severe disease caused by COVID-19.

Anyone receiving the vaccine must be four months out from their previous booster dose. Those who received the Johnson&Johnson are eligible to receive a booster dose from Pfizer or Moderna.

Anyone over 12 years old who has received an organ transplant or have a condition with an “equivalent level of immunocompromise” can also receive a second booster dose four months after their initial one, according to the New Hanover County website.

“Whether you are getting your second booster or thinking about getting your initial COVID-19 vaccine, we strongly encourage everyone in New Hanover County to visit us at the Pandemic Operations Center to get vaccinated as we continue the fight against this virus,” said Pandemic Operations Manager Jon Campbell in a news release from the county.

“We are ready to make this a seamless process and answer any questions individuals may have about COVID and these life-saving vaccines,” he added.

So far, around 1,100 people in New Hanover County have received a second booster dose, Campbell said in an email to the StarNews.

Around 75% of people over 65 in New Hanover County have received at least one booster dose, and 55% of all adults have received a booster dose.

Of the New Hanover County population, 62% are considered fully vaccinated, or have had two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson&Johnson.

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This comes as a new omicron subvariant begins to spread across the nation and world.

While BA.2 has become a dominant strain of the virus, it has not driven up cases in the US and typically does not cause severe symptoms. Current vaccines appear to provide the same degree of protection against the new variant as they did against omicron, health officials say.

However, some parts of the word are struggling with the BA.2 subvariant, including China, where the virus originated. China is now battling its worst outbreak since 2020, with the city of Shanghai, and its population of about 25 million people, under lockdown.

Additionally, a new variant called XE was recently discovered in the United Kingdom. The variant is believed to be a combination of the two strains of omicron, and it’s still unclear how transmissible it is, USA TODAY reported, though there have not been indications it causes severe disease.

New Hanover County remains in at a low positivity rate of around 4%, with only 135 new cases over the last 14 days as of Thursday.

While new variants continue to pop up, New Hanover County Assistant Health Director Carla Turner said it’s important to be aware, but not to panic. Residents should continue taking precautions as they see fit to protect their most vulnerable friends and family members, including getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and anyone experiencing symptoms should stay home and follow CDC recommendations, Turner said.

“We're learning more and more about this virus every day,” Turner said. “I would tell people to be to just be aware, don't hide your head in the sand. COVID is here in general, and it's not going to go away. We need to learn how to live with it, but we need to learn how to live with it responsibly.”

Eligible residents can get the second booster vaccine or their initial doses of the vaccine through the New Hanover County Pandemic Operations Center, 1507 Greenfield St. Walk-ups are accepted based on vaccine availability, but residents are encouraged to make appointments online at TakeMyShot.NC.gov.

Reporter Sydney Hoover can be reached at 910-343-2339 or shoover@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Second COVID booster shot now available for Wilmington-area residents