On Wednesday, the CDC and FDA authorized booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to people age 65 and older and others at high-risk from the virus—including people who live or work in a congregate setting, healthcare workers, people with underlying conditions that put them at high-risk for infection, and workers whose jobs are apt to expose them to the virus.
This includes, but is not limited to individuals listed below:
- Individuals age 65 and older
- Any Alaska Native, 18 years of age or older
- Healthcare workers
- First responders
- Cashiers
- Teachers and educational staff
- Public Safety
- Public transportation (bus drivers, taxi cab drivers, etc.)
- Law enforcement
- Correctional staff
- Public works
- Daycare providers
- Clergy
- Bank tellers/employees
- Court employees
- Pilots and airport staff
- Individuals in congregate settings
- Election workers
At this time, booster shots are available only for those who are at least six months past their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Booster shots have not yet been approved for recipients of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. YKHC will watch for those authorizations and arrange for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters as soon as they are approved.
YKHC has sufficient quantities of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on hand to meet the anticipated need for people in the region who qualify for booster shots, with more to be ordered as needed. Our COVID-19 response teams have already begun planning distribution of booster shots to village clinics throughout the YKHC service area, and identifying individuals who are eligible for the shot.
To sign up for a Pfizer booster, please visit our website at www.ykhc.org/covid-19/vaccine, or call your village health clinic. In Bethel, call 543-6949.