Some pharmacies have not updated the language they use on their websites, FYI. A couple of local ones are still saying that you have to be imminocompromised or be over 65. I went ahead and made an appointment for myself and my husband. If they kick me out because I don’t meet the criteria, they will be very sorry.
@BunsenBurner I know that happened with the original vaccines around here (not updating language) but I think the issue this time around is that it does not appear yet that Pfizer has approval from the FDA for the 16-17 y/os to get boosters. At least I have not been able to find any news beyond 11/30 when the news put out that Pfizer was seeking approval. I will be curious to see what happens when the poster above asks. I assumed that even if I scheduled an appointment for my D16, the pharmacist would probably tell us at the appointment that she was not yet eligible when they see her birthdate. But maybe not. Pfizer said they expected it would take about a week so I assume it will happen soon, esp with the new variant circulating.
1 Like
Yup. I was taking about 18 plus. The 18 and over population has been approved and getting their boosters for a while, but the pharmacies’ registration page language still does not reflect that.
Boosters are not yet approved for <18 unless immunocompromised.
Correct…no boosters yet for under 18. And true…the store registration might not stop you even if you enter the birthdate in.
Boosters for 16-17-year-olds were approved by the FDA today.
5 Likes
I tried to get a vaccine appt. today for a friend and they are now one month out. NE Massachusetts
Suggestion: It would help if posts included location.
My son got his booster (Chicago) yesterday. He tried to make an appt over Thanksgiving but it was the soonest he could get that didn’t conflict with his work schedule. He also doesn’t have a car so proximity was an issue. My friends and I (Chicago suburb) haven’t had a problem getting an appt since we have cars and most of us don’t work.
Son in Seattle was able to schedule his booster through UW’s myChart. Further locations had appointments in near future; closer to him in about 10 days. That will put him at seven months post second Pfizer so good timing.
He is no longer trepidatious about getting shots 
.
5 Likes
Are there any walk-in sites in your geographic region? Here appointments are scarce but several grocery stories, pharmacies, and public health clinics are serving walk-ins and according to social media the wait is not long.
Comparison of boosting with J&J or Pfizer after primary Pfizer sequence:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.02.21267198v1.full-text
Study had some funding from J&J and compared both antibody response and T-cell response to boosting.
No walk-ins that I can find.
I scheduled mine Monday on my med provider’s MyChart, for this Saturday at a local mall. Very simple.
Learned about vaccines.gov from my pharmacist; you can enter in which manufacturer you are looking for and the zip code and search by open appointments. I easily scheduled my booster this week within a couple of days (Ohio) (and even scheduled my son who wasn’t eligible yet LOL but I did cancel it).
The language on the store scheduling site about boosters being for 18+ has not been changed yet.
I have a friend who got a walk in booster at Costco.
Maine has a walk in clinic in Augusta that will be open at least through the end of the year. There have even been some first timers getting shots.
1 Like
Boston Globe:
“There’s a major lack of appointments. I’ve looked everywhere I possibly could and it’s impossible to find it anywhere,” said Harrman, adding that he even looked at pharmacies 50 miles away.
The new mayor held a clinic in City Hall but appts. were quickly filled and there was an hours long wait for walk-ins. I actually worry about exposure for people while waiting so long.
This is all good news- people want shots- but the infrastructure needs to keep up. There needs to be a major ramp up of appointments and clinics to get people shots in time for Christmas.
2 Likes
Pfizer approved for 16 and 17 year olds now.
Also in MA, I went to that vaccine finder website that the government is touting just to see what is out there. The first entry was a small clinic one town over that when you clicked on it said to call during business hours to see if there were appointments, the second link was a supermarket one town over - when I followed that one it said the next available appointment was on Dec 28 at a location 15 miles away, when I clicked on the third option it took me to a dead link. At that point I stopped because I was just searching out of curiosity, but I feel for people that are really trying to get a shot.
Wife, daughter, and I live in MA, son and other daughter live in RI. We gave up on the state vax website long ago and just go straight to the CVS site and have gotten appointments fairly easily.
1 Like