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YKHC will begin offering Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots to 16- and 17-year-olds on Dec. 14

YKHC will begin offering Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots to 16 and 17-year-olds on Dec. 14, 2021.
Loren Holmes
/
ADN
YKHC will begin offering Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots to 16 and 17-year-olds on Dec. 14, 2021.

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds are now eligible for COVID-19 booster shots. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation will begin offering Pfizer booster vaccines to this age group starting Dec. 14.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorized Pfizer booster vaccines for 16- and 17-year-olds on Dec. 9. The decision makes Pfizer booster shots available to those who received their first two doses of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster vaccines are not yet authorized for this age group.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky cited the protection the vaccine provides against the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in a statement announcing the CDC’s recommendation for 16- and 17-year-olds to receive booster vaccines.

“While there’s still a lot we don’t know about omicron, there is compelling data indicating that booster shots give people more protection against this new variant,” YKHC Director of Infection Control Dr. Elizabeth Bates said in a statement. “COVID-19 vaccines are the most powerful tool we have to fight this virus. We know the COVID-19 vaccine saves lives and helps prevent serious illness. Getting vaccinated and boosted as soon as you are eligible will help protect you, your loved ones, and our community.”

Booster shots are also available to everyone age 18 and older who received two Pfizer or Moderna shots at least six months ago, or who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Vaccines are available in Bethel on the second floor of the hospital Monday through Friday. If you’re in a village, YKHC asks that you complete this online form to request a shot at your village clinic: https://tinyurl.com/8kb9vth.

Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.
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