Duke is offering a newly formatted COVID-19 booster shot that provides greater protection against the Omicron variant to eligible members of the Duke community, according to a Thursday email sent to students, faculty and staff from the COVID-19 Vaccination Planning Work Group.
At this time, Duke is not requiring the bivalent booster, which also protects against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants that are currently in circulation, but strongly recommends it.
The Pfizer booster is available to those ages 12 and older, and the Moderna booster is available to those 18 and older, according to the email. Those who recently received an initial vaccine shot or a booster should wait two months before getting the new booster. Anyone who recently tested positive for COVID-19 should wait 90 days after the onset of symptoms or a positive test.
Appointments are available through the Duke COVID Vaccine website. According to the website, appointments are currently filled due to high demand and limited supply, but more appointments will be added as Duke Health receives additional shipments of the vaccine throughout the month.
Duke Health received 2,400 doses in its initial shipment of the Pfizer bivalent vaccine, according to John Vaugn, assistant vice president for student affairs, and is expecting more throughout the month, including the Moderna bivalent vaccine.
The Thursday email suggested that individuals should “also explore other vaccination options such as local pharmacies or their healthcare provider.”
The boosters were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week for individuals who have “had the initial series of the vaccine.”
Currently, Durham County is at the “medium” level of community risk, according to the Center for Disease Control’s community level category. If Durham’s risk level stays at “medium” or “low” for two consecutive weeks, Duke will no longer require masking in classrooms.
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Katie Tan is a Trinity senior and digital strategy director of The Chronicle's 119th volume. She was previously managing editor for Volume 118.