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Pending federal approval, state health officials are working on plans to administer COVID-19 booster shots as early as next month.
Recent findings show the vaccine’s effectiveness against severe illness, death and other variants wanes over time. To be proactive, state officials are putting preliminary measures in place.
Public health experts say COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccines are about 95% effective against infection, but recent findings show protection against the virus can deplete at least six months after a second shot.
On Wednesday, federal health officials released a plan recommending the general public receive a booster shot eight months after a second dose. Shots could be available in late September for individuals at higher risk, including healthcare workers, long-term-care facility residents and people age 65 and older — among first vaccinated.
Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s vaccine coordinator, said in a statement this week that local health departments are equipped with resources to administer additional doses for another “large-scale vaccination effort.” He attributed health officials’ preparedness to their familiarity with planning and operations from the initial coronavirus vaccine rollout.
In the coming weeks, the Virginia Department of Health intends to work with local health departments to assess each district’s “vaccination capacity.” Avula told reporters during a news briefing Thursday the peak of eligible patients is projected in late December when about 320,000 Virginians will approach the eight-month mark.
Unlike the first phase of shots, when vaccines were limited, the federal government assured the state “supply is not an issue.” After a health department analysis and with the help of 2,700 recruited providers, Virginia is assessing its ability to distribute and administer doses, Avula said.
A federal advisory committee responsible for making vaccine recommendations has not yet advised booster shots for the general population. The state health department can issue guidance to vaccine providers only after federal health officials authorize a booster shot for all Americans, Avula said.
The pending booster shot plan comes five days after the authorization of third doses for people with suppressed immune systems. The vaccination effort started Saturday across the commonwealth for those actively receiving cancer treatments, organ transplant patients taking medicine to suppress their immune system, people with active or untreated HIV infection, along with other conditions.
An additional dose is different from a booster shot, which applies to someone who is not immunocompromised. A booster shot is administered to the general population to bolster protection against a virus as immunity starts to wear off.
“No vaccine is 100% effective. And no vaccine lasts forever,” Avula said during a news briefing.
Right now, Pfizer and Moderna are the only vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for third doses; they use messenger RNA.
For their third dose, patients with compromised immune systems can receive either Moderna or Pfizer, but it’s preferable to stick with the same manufacturer. Immunocompromised patients who’ve been fully inoculated should seek an additional dose at least 28 days after their second shot.
“Individuals with a normally healthy immune system do not need an additional shot 28 days after their 2nd shot because their body has time for their immune response to kick in to offer protection, as opposed to those who are immunocompromised who need that additional shot to get them up to speed,” Kimi Stevens, a spokesperson for Chesapeake Health Department, said in an email.
Additional doses are available “anywhere” for people who are immunosuppressed, Avula said. Those eligible will need to “self attest” and identify the applicable health condition to their healthcare provider, pharmacist or local health department clinician to receive a third shot.
Over 300,000 Virginians received Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot, according to data from VDH. Those patients are also expected to also need additional doses, but more data must be reviewed before amending its emergency use authorization as the FDA did last week for the other two vaccine manufacturers. It is unclear when that decision will happen.
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Getting vaccinated against the coronavirus doesn’t mean someone cannot contract COVID-19.
Roughly 0.09% of Virginia’s fully vaccinated population — 4.7 million people — have experienced a breakthrough case. Public health experts said these cases are expected, and again, no vaccine is “100% effective at preventing illness in vaccinated people.”
However, being fully vaccinated can prevent one from developing serious symptoms and provide protection against the other four variants, including delta, which Avula said accounts for the majority of new cases in the state and across the country.
Although nearly 67% of Virginia’s adult population is fully vaccinated, and despite efforts to increase protection in those already inoculated, Avula expressed the importance of getting inoculated for those who haven’t received their first dose.
That goal, above all else, is a key factor “in the long run to progressing beyond this pandemic,” Avula said.
Sierra Jenkins, 229-462-8896, sierra.jenkins@virginiamedia.com