Johnson County plans to deliver booster doses pending green light from CDC board
Johnson County Public Health Community Health Manager Sam Jarvis said he is looking to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendations to allow booster shots for the general public.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors hosts a meeting at the Johnson County Administration Building on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. At the meeting, Sam Jarvis discussed the COVID-19 booster shots. “We still want to prioritize those who are unvaccinated.”
September 1, 2021
Johnson County public health officials plan to recommend booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines to eligible residence if a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel recommends booster shots in an upcoming meeting.
During a work session of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, Sam Jarvis, Johnson County Public Health community health manager, said said his team is waiting for the green light from the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices because the committee is ruling on when vaccines of all types are to be administered.
“We know as soon as September 20 rolls around — and let’s say the ACIP says yes — boosters will be recommended for the general public,” Jarvis said. “We know that will be the headline that will be what people hear.”
The CDC Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization will meet on Sept. 20 to consider recommending third doses for the general public.
While Joe Biden’s administration has recommended booster shots for all Americans eight months after their first dose, third-dose booster shots have only been approved for those who are immunocompromised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Jarvis said immunocompromised people in the county are currently being given third doses.
“We’ve talked to a lot of our providers –– that’s being taken care of,” Jarvis told the supervisors. “It’s a small subset of that population, but it’s ongoing to get that third dose for those with specific health conditions.”
For now, Jarvis said he wants those who are vaccinated to keep their vaccination records memorized, as he and other health officials presume booster shots will be administrated eight months after one’s last dose.
He said the county has been told that the supply of COVID-19 vaccinations is not a concern.
“We won’t be going through a phased process of 1,000 doses a week,” Jarvis said. “I know that we ourselves just placed an order with the State Health Department. We ordered close to ten flats of Pfizer vaccines for ourselves and our partners. We are able to get a lot of supply without any concerns.”