FDA authorizes second booster as state community vaccine sites are slated to close
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday the authorization of a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people 50 and up and certain immunocompromised individuals.
While a new round of shots are given the green light nationally, most community vaccination sites in Colorado are set to close at the end of March.
The vaccination sites at the Chapel Hills Mall and Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs, and the Pubelo Mall are all slated to stop distribution on March 31.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment previously announced the state will transition from offering COVID-19 vaccines through state-run community vaccination sites to traditional health care settings.
That means those interested in a second booster shot will need to get a vaccine through their primary care physician in a doctor's office, or at pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and King Soopers. CDPHE says there are nearly 2,000 providers across the state that offer the shots.
Federal funding for vaccines is also drying up due to an impasse in Congress. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment fears that will affect fourth doses.
“We don't actually anticipate the funding concerns that are currently present impact the vaccines that we currently have available," said Heather Roth, Immunization Branch Chief for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. "That includes everything from primary series and booster doses, but also the anticipated doses needed for kids under 5. Where I think we'll run into some issues if funding is not secured, is this kind of larger recommendation for all Coloradans, all Americans, to receive what basically would be a fourth dose or second booster dose.”
Right now community testing sites will remain open. Three that operate in the Pikes Peak Region include the Citadel Mall, Chapel Hills Mall, and Pueblo Mall.
However, the state health department says only 5 percent of Colorado's testing capacity is currently being used. Due to low demand, PCR tests could soon move to traditional health care settings as well.
“We are continuing to have PCR testing available across the state," said Emily Travanty, State Lab Director. "We're looking, though, at the data around utilization of these testing sites and we have seen some natural attrition in some of these sites. So we can look to close a few of them based on their decreased demand."
CDPHE did not specify which sites could be impacted or when they may close.
Colorado recently surpassed the 2 million mark for those boosted in the state, but the state health department says there's still work to do. 30 percent of people who got an original COVID-19 shot, still haven’t been boosted.
Right now, the FDA's authorization for a second booster for those 50 and older or immunocompromised only applies to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. To receive the additional shot, one must also be at least 4 months past a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
To find a vaccine provider near you, click here.
