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MISSION, Kan. — Johnson County public health workers started giving out booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Monday morning.

The guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leaves a lot of leeway for doctors to determine who should get a third shot.

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment says in the first two hours Monday morning, more than 40 people received Pfizer booster shots.

Public health workers are limiting the jabs to those who are 65 and older, and have allowed at least six months to pass since getting their second shots. Those between 50 and 64 also can get boosters if they have certain underlying medical conditions. But only those who received the Pfizer vaccine initially can get boosters now.

“The booster dose will help offer additional protection for people who are already fully vaccinated, because the research and the data is showing the effectiveness of the vaccine might wane over time,” Charlie Hunt, deputy director of Johnson County Health & Environment, said. “But still people do have a degree of protection. Those people who are not yet vaccinated are not protected at all, so we want to encourage them to come in.”

The Food and Drug Administration is continuing to review data for those who received the Moderna or Janssen vaccines.

It’s anticipated boosters will be approved for those folks too, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Mixing vaccines is not recommended, Hunt says.

In Johnson County booster shots are available Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. There also will be evening clinic hours until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, although those hours may depend on demand for the shots.