Walgreens Now Offering COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots Nationwide to Eligible Individuals

Walgreens is offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to eligible individuals nationwide, following the FDA Emergency Use Authorization and new guidance from the CDC. In accordance with the new guidance, individuals may choose to receive a dose different from the one they received for their initial series.

“As new guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccines continues to emerge, our communities are relying on pharmacists for information, support and guidance more than ever,” said Rina Shah, group vice president pharmacy operations and services at Walgreens, in a press release. “Walgreens pharmacy teams are available to answer questions and make it easy to understand eligibility requirements and access COVID-19 vaccine, whether it’s a first dose or booster shot.”

Individuals who received the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine are recommended to receive a single booster dose if they are 18 years of age or older and received their initial dose no less than 2 months earlier. Patients who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) must wait at least 6 months after they complete their initial mRNA COVID-19 primary vaccine series to receive their booster dose. Eligibility requirements for Moderna and Pfizer-BioTech booster doses are both the same, and include:

• Individuals 65 years of age and older.
• Long-term care facility residents 18 years of age and older.
• Individuals 18 years of age and older with underlying medical conditions. According to CDC guidance, individuals ages 18–49 should consider individual benefits and risks.
• Individuals 18-64 years of age who are at an increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting, including health care and essential workers, based on their individual benefits and risks.

According to Walgreens, it is generally recommended that individuals receive the same product for their booster dose as they did for their primary series, but if the original product is not available or another product is preferred, patients are allowed to mix and match any of the authorized COVID-19 vaccine boosters. Primary vaccine doses of 2-dose products should still be completed with the same product for both doses.

REFERENCE

Walgreens now offering Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster shots nationwide [news release]. Walgreens; October 22, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211022005293/en/Walgreens-Now-Offering-Moderna-and-Johnson-Johnson-COVID-19-Vaccine-Booster-Shots-Nationwide