COVID-19 Booster Shots For All Adults Recommended By IDPH

SPRINGFIELD, IL — State public health officials now recommend all adults get a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine.

Friday's announcement from the Illinois Department of Public Health follows the Food and Drug Administration's decision to expand booster shot availability to anyone aged 18 or older.

Adults are eligible for a third shot of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines six months after receiving the second dose. Those who got the Johnson & Johnson jab can get a boost after just two months.

“For continued, ongoing protection, we are urging everyone who is eligible to get a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to get one,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a release.

“Scientific and medical experts have reviewed the data and found booster doses are beneficial," Ezike said. "While we need more people who are completely unvaccinated to get their first doses, we cannot risk losing some of the protection the vaccines have already provided due to waning immunity.”

Mixing of vaccines for booster shots is permitted under guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, so people who received two doses of Pfizer may choose to go with Moderna or vice versa. Public health officials said people should still get the same brand of vaccine for both the first two doses.

According to IDPH data, the state has administered nearly 16.7 million doses of vaccine, including almost 1.5 million booster doses. An average of more than 62,000 doses are administered every day in the state, and more than 57 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

As of Friday, 13 percent of kids aged 5-11, 60 percent of those 12-17, 72.5 percent of adults 18-64 and 91.5 percent of seniors aged 65 and up had received at least one dose.

Related: Unvaccinated Teens Spur New COVID Surge, School Outbreaks: Report

New coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are both on the rise in Illinois, according to state data. The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 rose by 40 percent to 1,759 in the past month and new cases increased by 25 percent to 28,280 over the past week.

The senior medical officers of the Cook County Department of Public Health released statements endorsing Friday's FDA and CDC.

“We are pleased by the decision of the FDA and CDC to allow booster doses for all adults over the age of 18," said Dr. Kiran Joshi. "Vaccinations are our only way out of the pandemic and booster shots further protect us. The more doses we administer, the less transmission of the virus occurs, and that is the key to moving forward.”

Information on where to receive a booster dose is available from vaccines.gov, and people with questions about booster doses and vaccines can call 833-621-1284 to reach the state's vaccine appointment call center.

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