Here's When COVID-19 Booster Shots May Be Available In CT

CONNECTICUT — On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee voted unanimously to recommend emergency use authorization of a booster dose of Pfizer’s vaccine at least six months after full vaccination in people 65 and older as well as for individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19.

The advisory committee did not opine on booster shots for those whose primary vaccine series was with the Moderna or the J& J vaccine. Further booster recommendations for those vaccines are anticipated in the coming weeks, state health officials said.

While Friday’s FDA meeting is just the start of the process, the Connecticut Department of Public Health said it will continue to work with its federal partners, vaccine providers, and other stakeholders to be sure they are ready to provide boosters when these recommendations are finalized, officials said.

Sept. 24 may be the exact date

The next steps are for the FDA to offer a final recommendation (following on Friday’s meeting of its advisory panel) and then for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to meet on Sept. 22 and 23. Pending this guidance from ACIP, CT officials said they expect that the administration of booster vaccines may start as soon as Sept. 24.

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However, state health officials said this timeline is subject to change as more information is released. DPH in a news release said it looks forward to collaborating with hundreds of vaccine providers across the state on any booster roll-out.

These providers include hospitals/health systems, federally qualified health centers, pharmacies, physician practices and local health departments. DPH stressed that there is a more than adequate supply of vaccine available.

"The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States continue to be remarkably effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant," CT health officials said. "It is critical that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people get their primary series of vaccines to further reduce the risk of COVID-19 and its more severe outcomes. Nearly all the cases of severe disease, hospitalization, and death continue to occur among those not yet vaccinated at all."