Updated COVID-19 vaccines available at Pueblo Mall vaccination site

Zach Hillstrom, The Pueblo Chieftain
·3 min read
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Annamarie Sabatella places a sign directing drivers to the COVID-19 mobile vaccination site at the Pueblo Mall last month.
Annamarie Sabatella places a sign directing drivers to the COVID-19 mobile vaccination site at the Pueblo Mall last month.

COVID-19 vaccines that target omicron subvariants are now available at the Pueblo Mall vaccine site, the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment announced Monday.

The administration of the updated Pfizer and Moderna vaccines follows approval by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anyone age 12 and older who has completed a primary series of COVID-19 vaccines should receive an omicron dose, a PDPHE news release said.

"A primary series usually means two doses of Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson. People who are immunocompromised may receive up to three doses in their primary series," the release said.

"Additionally, anyone who has previously received a third, fourth, or fifth dose — also known as booster doses — should receive an omicron dose. People should get their omicron dose at least two months after their most recent dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and can wait three months after a recent COVID-19 infection."

The Pueblo Mall site began administering the updated vaccines on Friday and will also continue to offer primary COVID-19 vaccine doses for any person age 6 months or older.

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The state of Colorado announced Sept. 8 it would be opening "10 large-scale COVID-19 community vaccination sites" to administer the new updated vaccines. The state's announcement said the new sites would have the capacity to administer a total of 4,250 doses each day.

“Just like the virus has evolved, so has the vaccine. Getting this latest vaccine will give you targeted protection from the COVID-19 variants circulating in Colorado right now,” said Scott Bookman, COVID-19 Incident Commander, in a news release. “In addition to local pharmacies and health care providers, Coloradans will now be able to visit convenient community vaccination sites all over the state to get the best protection for the fall and winter.”

On Sept. 1, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky endorsed recommendations for the use of updated COVID-19 boosters.

"Updated COVID-19 boosters add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to the current vaccine composition," the CDC said in a news release announcing its recommendations, "helping to restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination by targeting variants that are more transmissible and immune-evading."

“The updated COVID-19 boosters are formulated to better protect against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variant," Walensky said. "They can help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and were designed to provide broader protection against newer variants. This recommendation followed a comprehensive scientific evaluation and robust scientific discussion. If you are eligible, there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster and I strongly encourage you to receive it.”

Appointments for the Pueblo Mall vaccine site are encouraged, but sign-up is available on site. Information about COVID-19 vaccines in Pueblo County is available at pueblohealth.org/vaccine.

To learn more about omicron vaccine doses, visit covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine.

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Chieftain editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on Twitter @ZachHillstrom.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: COVID-19 vaccines targeting omicron subvariants available in Pueblo