Do you need a second COVID-19 booster? What to know about demand in MetroWest, Milford
Demand for second COVID-19 boosters has been slow and steady in MetroWest and Greater Milford, in stark contrast to the booster surge that saw pharmacists working overtime and vaccine appointments in short supply last winter.
“It actually has been rather steady,” said Alicia Leary, a pharmacy technician at Milford Central Pharmacy. “We’ve been getting three or four patients a day, but it’s not as big as the first booster, around the holidays.”
While first booster doses are available for all vaccinated individuals 12 years and older, second doses are limited to older adults.
Who's eligible for a second booster?
In late March, the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized a second dose for adults aged 50 and up.
More: Federal agencies authorize second COVID-19 booster shot for Americans 50 and older
Second boosters are also available to anyone 12 years and older with certain medical conditions, or adults who received a Johnson & Johnson as both their primary COVID-19 vaccination and their booster, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Those individuals may get a second booster at least four months after their first, meaning those who received a first dose in December or early January would now be eligible.
The second booster is “especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a March statement.
The CDC and FDA will continue to evaluate the need for additional booster doses among the general public, she added.
New COVID-19 cases have been climbing locally and statewide, rising 17.4% last week in Middlesex County and 67.6% in Worcester County. That’s compared to a 36.1% surge across all of Massachusetts.
When transmission is lower, so is the need for a booster, according to USA TODAY. However, more people may need an extra dose if the exposure risk is high, and predictive models suggest the U.S. will almost certainly face another COVID-19 wave in the fall and winter, according to the news outlet.
Related: People 50 and older are eligible for a second COVID booster. Who should get one?
Mild demand at local pharmacies
By Monday, 292,268 people in Massachusetts had received two booster doses, according to data from the state DPH. That’s compared to the 3,002,727 residents who have received one booster.
Second booster doses have jumped in recent weeks, DPH data shows; the state reported only 45,915 second booster doses administered as of April 2.
A weekly DPH report with vaccination data as of April 26 showed the most uptake for second boosters among people aged 75 and up (16%) and those between the ages of 65 and 74 (15%). Six percent of those aged 50 to 64 have gotten a second booster.
Health First Pharmacy in Framingham has been offering boosters on Fridays, and the pharmacy typically sees two or three patients each week, according to pharmacist Rudvij Patel. However, he said Health First’s volume is likely different from the traffic seen at corporate pharmacy chains such as CVS and Walgreens.
He suggested a lack of awareness about eligibility may be one of the reasons for the low demand.
From December: COVID booster appointments and pharmacy staff in short supply
“A lot of people got booster doses at the end of the year last year, so their four months are due now,” Patel said. “A lot of people are not realizing yet that they are qualified or eligible. That’s what I think.”
Those looking for a COVID-19 vaccination can find appointments via vaxfinder.mass.gov/. Both Health First and Milford Central Pharmacy also offer walk-ins — just remember to bring your vaccination card, Leary advised.
Abby Patkin is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. Follow Abby on Twitter @AMPatkin. She can be reached at apatkin@wickedlocal.com.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Do you need a COVID-19 booster? What to know in MetroWest, Milford
