A federal advisory panel has recommended Pfizer booster shots, but only for people 65 or older, or those who run a high risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
The boosters would come at least six months after a person receives their second Pfizer dose.
Communicable disease supervisor Jill Johnson draws out doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Deschutes County Public Health Department in Bend, Ore., Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
Oregon health officials said that recommendation is just the first step. Several more groups still have to weigh in over the next week, including a CDC committee and a Western States workgroup.
In a statement Friday, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon’s state health officer and state epidemiologist, said the state is ready to administer boosters as soon as they’re approved. They’ll be widely available at pharmacies, doctor’s offices and clinics.
Sidelinger said the Oregon Health Authority’s focus remains on getting initial vaccine doses to Oregonians who haven’t yet been vaccinated.
To date, booster doses have not been recommended for people who received doses of the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Federal officials are expected to consider such potential boosters in the coming few weeks.
