‘Rolling up their sleeves’

Updated COVID-19 boosters available in Chatham

Posted

The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has taken another turn after the federal Food and Drug Administration approved an updated COVID-19 booster shot. 

Following the authorization of the updated boosters, Chatham County’s Public Health Director Mike Zelek said his department is now offering Moderna’s updated booster shot to those who want them. 

“Our clinic in Siler City is offering only the (updated) Moderna booster, so we’re scheduling appointments Monday to Friday, during normal business hours,” Zelek said. 

The new Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech’s booster was developed to provide additional protection against the original COVID-19 strain and subvariants of the Omicron strain, such as B.A. 4 and B.A. 5. These two strains cause more than 90% of cases in the U.S., and with the original vaccine only addressing subvariants of the original COVID strain, public health officials like Zelek agreed there needed to be more protection from an additional booster. 

“Protection can wane over time, as we’ve seen, that’s why the boosters came about,” Zelek said. “So the booster in itself will give you some extra protection, but this one’s designed to be a little more specific with what’s currently circulating.”

Both Moderna’s and Pfizer/BioNTech’s updated boosters were authorized for emergency use on Aug. 31. 

The new boosters use the same technology as the two-dose series of vaccines many people have taken. The shots utilize messenger RNA (mRNA), found in all organisms, which enters the muscle cells in the body and will use the cell’s interworkings to create spike proteins similar to those found in the virus which causes COVID-19. 

Cells will then break down the mRNA, which will leave the body as waste. From there, the immune system will recognize the spike proteins as a foreign body and will then build antibodies to activate and prepare for an immune response. 

The updated booster can be administered two months after either the primary series or any other booster dose. Those who are ages 5 to 11 years old can only receive the original booster, but health officials expect the updated vaccine will be made available to this age group in the coming weeks.

“It’s pretty much the same process, just with the updated variants, specifically the Omicron lineage is what we’re looking at,” Zelek said. 

COVID-19 hasn’t left Chatham yet, and will be there for the foreseeable future, he said. Chatham County still reports cases, but community transmission levels have entered the low category, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

COVID may be here to stay, but Zelek said there are more tools for preventing severe illness, including vaccines. He can personally attest to the vaccine’s efficacy, as he and his family just went through a wave of COVID in their household. 

“It hit me pretty hard, but I didn’t end up in the hospital,” he said. “That’s what the vaccines are really designed to do — that’s the best tool and I think that’s where we’re really in a different place than two years ago.”

Other things have changed since COVID-19 vaccines became widely available to the public. Vaccination rates have plateaued, and booster shots have been administered at a much slower rate than the two original vaccine series. 

According to the N.C. Dept. of Human Health and Services, 60% of Chatham County’s population has received the first series of COVID shots, excluding the booster. Of those who’ve been vaccinated, 46% have received their first booster shot. 

Zelek said there could be several reasons why less people have gotten their booster in comparison to the original vaccine series. 

“There was so much emphasis on that primary series — there were even some places where there were requirements to get vaccinated or incentives to get vaccinated,” he said. “I think there was a lot of emphasis on that initial series, so we’d expect that rate would be higher than the boosted, and then some folks have gotten COVID since then as well, so we have to think different things in terms of boosters.”

With a new and updated booster shot targeting Omicron and its subvariants, Zelek said he hopes people will hop on the chance to have tailored protection to the more contagious strains. He said the health department is working to ensure Chatham residents have access to resources regarding the new boosters, as well as to how they provide effective protection. 

“We promote the options out there, including offering the vaccine ourselves, so there’s us, local providers, and recognizing resources like vaccines.gov that can connect folks to locations convenient and nearest to them,” Zelek said. “The outreach piece is a key part of what we do — when we participate in community events and talk with community partners, community members, social media, our website, all of that broad communication strategy is a big piece of it.”

In addition to the updated COVID boosters, Zelek is also encouraging residents to roll up their sleeves for the flu vaccine this fall. He said both vaccines can be received at the same time, and once the health department receives its flu vaccine shipment, the vaccine clinic will also offer flu vaccines to those interested. 

“You can kill two birds with one stone,” Zelek said. 

Talking about COVID has exhausted everyone, including Zelek. However, he said it’s important for residents to stay up to date on their vaccines and not ignore COVID. 

“The reality is we’re all tired of talking about COVID,” he said. “We all just wish it would be gone as much as anybody out there, but the reality is, it’s still here. Now, there are tools out there that you can use to protect yourself, including the new boosters.”

Appointments are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Siler City vaccine clinic located at 1000 S. Tenth Ave. in Siler City. Appointment scheduling can be made by calling 919-742-5641.

Reporter Taylor Heeden can be reached at theeden@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @HeedenTaylor. 

COVID-19, Chatham County Health Department, booster shots, variants, Moderna, Pfizer