Pfizer COVID-19 booster: Illinois reduces wait time following new CDC recommendation
CHICAGO - Illinois public health officials said Tuesday they will adopt new federal recommendation that shortens the wait period for receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Tuesday that people only need to wait five months after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, instead of the previous recommendation of six months.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said it will follow the CDC's new timetable for the Pfizer booster to allow residents to better protect themselves against the virus.
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"Early evidence suggests that people who have received COVID-19 booster doses are better protected against severe illness from the new Omicron variant," IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement. "Shortening the time interval between the initial Pfizer series and boosters, as well as recommending a third dose for immunocompromised children will afford better protection to more people."
IDPH said only those people who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine during their primary series are eligible to receive the booster dose five months after their second shot.
In this photo illustration, a silhouette of hands in medical gloves holds a medical syringe and a vial in front of the Pfizer logo of a US pharmaceutical industry company. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The booster interval recommendation for those who received the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccine series remains at six months.
Additionally, the CDC has also recommended kids age 5-11 years old who are severely immunocompromised should get an additional primary dose of the Pfizer vaccine 28 days after their second shot.
The Pfizer vaccine is the only series approved for children of that age range.
"If you or your children are eligible for a third dose or a booster, please go out and get one as soon as you can. Additionally, FDA took action this week to authorize boosters for 12-15 year olds – and I look forward to ACIP meeting on Wednesday to discuss this issue," said Walensky.
Booster shots have been in the media spotlight recently as the best solution for avoiding an infection from omicron, which has shown to be more infectious than other variants and can pass between people who have already been vaccinated.
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The CDC's recommendations have followed the surge of COVID-19 omicron cases. In Michigan, the state reported more than 60,000 cases since last Wednesday - a daily average of more than 12,000.
Experts' understanding of the coronavirus has continued to evolve in recent months, reflecting the changing recommendations that have followed.
In late December, the CDC reduced the quarantine isolation period for asymptomatic patients from 10 to five days, before recommending consistent masking. The Michigan health department soon followed in matching the federal government's guidance.
To find vaccination locations near you, go to vaccines.gov or call 1-800-232-0233.