Wegmans, Giant Food Pharmacies In MD Join Other Chains To Offer Pfizer COVID Booster Shot

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Two Maryland pharmacy chains said Monday they will offer COVID-19 booster shots. The move comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday formally recommended COVID-19 booster shots for millions of Americans, and the Maryland Department of Public Health followed suit later that day.

All Wegmans and Giant Food pharmacies in Maryland are offering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot, the companies said Monday.

State health officials issued a bulletin directing vaccine providers to immediately make booster shots available to eligible Marylanders who received their second Pfizer dose at least six months ago, Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday in a release.

The state is encouraging providers to contact residents who have been vaccinated for the coronavirus.

Anyone who received their second Pfizer dose at least six months ago, you should strongly consider getting a booster shot, Hogan said.

"This is important progress, but we continue to press the federal government to issue clear guidance for individuals who received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines," Hogan said. "And with students back in classrooms, it is critical that the federal government expedite approval of vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds."

All 152 pharmacy locations in the Giant Food chain will administer the booster shot in accordance with Centers for Disease Control approval. In addition to the booster shot, Giant also offers third dose COVID-19 vaccines to immunocompromised individuals.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday formally recommended COVID-19 booster shots for millions of Americans.

As of Monday, the federal Food and Drug Administration had only authorized booster shots of Pfizer's vaccine, and was still gathering data on vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The federal agency cited studies showing the vaccines' effectiveness may start to wane over time and is less reliable against the more-infectious delta variant of the coronavirus.

Vaccinated individuals — even without the booster shot — are still far less likely to catch or spread the virus than the unvaccinated.
Data from a clinical trial showed that a third Pfizer shot given at least six months after the second shot improves the body's immune response and increases protection against the delta variant, according to the CDC.

Moderna and J&J are expected to submit data for their own booster shots soon, state health officials said.

Who should get a booster?

The CDC recommends these groups should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 Vaccine at least six months after completing their first two doses:

• people aged 65 years and older
• residents aged 18 years and older in long-term care settings
• people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions

The CDC also recommends that the following groups may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 Vaccine at least six months after completing their primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks:

• people aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions
• people aged 18–64 years at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting, such as health care workers, teachers and other essential workers.

Officials said the recommendations only apply to people who have already received both shots of Pfizer's vaccine. You should talk to your doctor if you're not sure if the booster shot is appropriate for you.

Is a booster shot safe?

All the vaccines available in the United States have been through multi-phase clinical trials with more than 30,000 participants — plus millions of ordinary Americans who have now received a shot. Officials said the potential side effects are the same as with the first two shots: soreness at the injection site, fatigue, fever, chills and headache.

Allergic reactions possible but very rare. All providers have medicine available to treat such reactions, and studies suggest that if you weren't allergic to the first two shots, you'll be fine with the third.

Other pharmacies offering a third dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines include:

• CVS
• Sam's Club
• Walgreens
• Walmart

Check your pharmacy's website to see if you need to book an appointment or can just walk in to get your shot. Other pharmacies may begin offering the shots in the coming weeks, so keep checking back if yours isn't listed.

Wegmans Pharmacy Offers Booster Shot

Wegmans Pharmacy locations are offering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster doses to eligible individuals by appointment only.

These groups are eligible to receive a Pfizer booster shot:

• People 65 years and older
• Residents in long-term care settings
• People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions
• People aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions, based on their individual benefits and risks
• People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting, based on their individual benefits and risks

Appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot must be reserved in advance by visiting Wegmans.com/pharmacy or calling 1-800-207-6099 between 2 and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, while appointments last.

Customers must bring their COVID-19 vaccination record card or other proof of vaccination to their appointment if they did not receive their initial two-dose series at Wegmans. Proof of qualifying condition is not required; however, patients will be asked to self-attest to current CDC eligibility at time of vaccine appointment.

Giant Food Pharmacy COVID Info

While an appointment is not required, if you want to reserve a time you can on the store's website. Giant Food is not charging for the booster shot.

Bring your health insurance card and driver's license to the appointment, along with your vaccination card.

Giant's in-store pharmacists administer the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, depending on store location. COVID-19 tests are also available at Giant pharmacies.

For more information on the chain's COVID response online.

Find a Giant Food store near you.