COVID booster shots are available in the Warren County area.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends COVID-19 booster shots for some patients.

Gaughn’s Drug Store will hold Moderna booster clinics at Allegheny Community Center.

“Gaughn’s will be starting COVID booster clinics for Moderna on Thursdays at the Allegheny Community Center Oct. 28,” according to Owner and Pharmacist Scott Newton. “Appointments are required. Our plan is to have approximately 300 spots going forward every Thursday.”

“If the demand is there we will be adding more clinics,” Newton said. “We will also be doing the other vaccines in-store, again by appointment.”“The reason we chose to do clinics for Moderna specifically is because the majority of the vaccines given in this community were Moderna,” Owner Kelly Newton said. “Gaughn’s did not have access to Pfizer the first go around so the approximate 5,000 vaccines we did give initially were Moderna. We are now also offering Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer initial vaccines and boosters in-store. Appointments can be made for all three of these COVID-19 vaccines on our website at gaughns.com.”

The dosage of the Pfizer and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) boosters is the same as the original shots. For most, the Moderna booster is half of a dose compared to the original.

As of last week, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended “Moderna and Janssen booster doses for certain groups of individuals.”

That advisory was later signed-off on by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

CDC had previously issued a recommendation on a Pfizer booster dose.

CDC recommends that those who received a Janssen vaccine at least two months ago and are at least 18 years of age receive a booster dose.

For those who received Moderna or Pfizer at least six months ago, CDC suggests boosters for those 18 and older living in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions, or live or work in high-risk settings; and all those at least 65 years of age.

Those who are immuno-compromised are advised to get a booster dose of Moderna or Pfizer as early as 28 days after their initial series. The Moderna booster in that case is a full dose.

Vaccine — initial doses and boosters — remains available at numerous locations throughout the county.

The boosters do not have to match the original series.

According to the CDC, booster is now recommended for all three available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States.

“Individuals have ability to decide which vaccine they receive as a booster dose,” according to CDC. “Some individuals may prefer to receive booster of the same vaccine type they received as primary series while others may prefer to get a different booster. CDC is now allowing such mix and match of vaccines for booster shoots.”

Warren General Hospital is not administering COVID boosters, according to Chief Nursing Officer Joe Akif. “We are coordinating through local pharmacies.”

COVID IN WARREN COUNTY

Over the weekend, Warren County surpassed 10 percent of residents having had COVID, according to data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The county case count went up 45 over the weekend and 37 on Tuesday, bringing the total to 3,975.

Of those, 3,209 are confirmed and 766 are probables.

The county’s death toll is up two, to 124, since Friday.

Since Friday, there were 154 new booster vaccines administered in the county bringing the total to 667.

According to Tuesday’s data, 2,362 residents were partially vaccinated and 15,604 were fully vaccinated.

According to CDC, the county remains an area of high community transmission.