On Monday, September 27, the Hoboken Health Department and Hoboken Family Pharmacy began offering Pfizer booster shots to individuals who are 65 years or older and have received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago. The city’s plans to distribute Pfizer booster shots were announced by Mayor Ravi Bhalla by press release on September 24.
On September 22, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the original emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech to allow for the administration of a single booster dose. According to the FDA, the qualifications for receiving a booster dose include being over 65 years of age, being between the ages of 18 and 64 years with a high risk of severe sickness due to COVID-19, or being between 18 and 64 years of age and having frequent institutional or occupational exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The purpose of a booster dose is to increase the body’s immune response to COVID-19 since it has been shown that vaccine effectiveness decreases over time. According to the FDA, “Safety was evaluated in 306 participants 18 through 55 years of age and 12 participants 65 years of age and older who were followed for an average of over two months. The most commonly reported side effects by the clinical trial participants who received the booster dose of the vaccine were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, as well as fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain and chills. Of note, swollen lymph nodes in the underarm were observed more frequently following the booster dose than after the primary two-dose series.”
The Hoboken Health Department and the Hoboken Family Pharmacy will be in the community rooms of each of the city’s senior buildings at the following dates and locations:
- Monday, Sept. 27, Marion Towers at 400 First Street from 9 am to 1 pm.
- Tuesday, Sept. 28, at Fox Hills at 311 13th Street from 9 am to 1 pm.
- Wednesday, Sept. 29, Monroe Gardens at 221 Jackson Street from 9 am to 1 pm.
- Thursday, Sept. 30, Adams Gardens at 220 Adams Street from 9 am to 1 pm.
- Friday, Oct. 1, Columbian Towers at 76 Bloomfield Street from 9 am to 1 pm.
- Friday, Oct. 1, Columbian Arms at 514 Madison Street from 1:30 pm to 3 pm.
The city will not only be offering Pfizer booster vaccines, but flu vaccines as well. Anyone seeking a third booster dose should bring their vaccine card. Hoboken will also be expanding its vaccine services at 605 Jackson Street from two days per week to three days per week.
Anyone who works, lives, or goes to school in Hoboken can also get vaccinated with Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The vaccine clinics are scheduled for Monday, September 27, from 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, September 28, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Wednesday, September 29 from 9 a.m. to noon. The mayor stated in the press release that he was thankful for the opportunity to distribute Pfizer booster shots, “Thank you to the FDA and CDC for authorizing Pfizer booster shots and I remain optimistic that booster shots will become available for those who received Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccines.” The mayor also added that the Hoboken Health Department will readily offer Johnson & Johnson and Moderna booster shots once they become approved and available.
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