COVID-19 booster shots in Olmsted County

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccine six months following completion of the initial Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination series for the following groups:

  • People age 65 and older should get the booster.
  • People ages 50–64 with underlying medical conditions should get the booster.
  • People ages 18–49 with underlying medical conditions, based on individual benefit and risk may get the booster. People ages 18–64 with frequent exposure to COVID-19 that puts them at high risk may get the booster (e.g., health care workers, teachers and child care staff, grocery workers, and occupants of homeless shelters or prisons).

Important: This emergency use authorization of the COVID booster shot was only granted for Pfizer. There is no guidance at this time for those who received Moderna or the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines as their primary vaccination. To learn more about the Pfizer COVID-19 booster, visit the CDC’s website.

Olmsted County Public Health Services (OCPHS), Mayo Clinic, and Olmsted Medical Center all follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) related to COVID-19 vaccinations including booster shots. These organizations are now sharing details about their booster shot plans and answering questions about whether flu shots can be received at the same time as the COVID booster. 

Olmsted County Public Health Services
For booster shots, OCPHS will be contacting individuals originally vaccinated by OCPHS based on their eligibility and providing instructions on how to get their vaccine booster. COVID-19 vaccine boosters will not be provided during seasonal influenza vaccine clinics.

Mayo Clinic 
The four populations eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine booster doses at Mayo Clinic are:

  • People over age 65. 
  • People ages 50–64 with underlying medical conditions.
  • People ages 18–49 with underlying medical conditions, based on individual benefit and risk.
  • People ages 18–64 with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to COVID-19 that puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19, including severe COVID-19. 

Mayo Clinic began offering booster vaccines to eligible patients and staff on September 24, 2021. Patients 65 and older will be contacted through Patient Online Services and by letter.

Patients and staff at high risk of severe COVID-19 infection or who have underlying medical conditions such as obesity, asthma and diabetes, and where occupational exposure to COVID-19 would put them at high risk of severe infection will not receive formal communication from Mayo Clinic. If you fall into one of these categories and are six months past your initial Pfizer vaccination series, you should schedule an appointment online using Patient Online Services.

Eligible patients can call or use online services to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine booster:

  • Rochester: 507-538-4040

In Rochester, if eligible patients and staff are interested in receiving their flu vaccination at the same time as their COVID-19 booster, Mayo is offering this combination the week of October 4, 2021. View the Rochester schedule for details.

Olmsted Medical Center (OMC) booster shot plans
Due to the number of patients eligible, OMC will be prioritizing individuals 65 years of age and older for the Pfizer COVID-19 booster, followed by individuals 50–64 years of age with underlying medical conditions based on CDC recommendations. OMC will be contacting patients who qualify and providing information on how to schedule an appointment. OMC will reach out through email, OMC MyChart, or the telephone appointment reminder system.

Local pharmacies
Many pharmacies are also providing COVID-19 vaccine boosters. You can find a location on the MDH Vaccine Finder website.
 

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Media Contact: Emma Diercks, Communications Specialist, 507-328-6166