Walgreens Offering COVID-19 Booster Doses to All Individuals 18 Years of Age and Older

All individuals 18 years of age or older can now receive a Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster at Walgreens locations nationwide, according to a press release from the company. This follows the FDA’s decision to expand the emergency use authorization for Pfizer and Moderna booster vaccines to all individuals 18 and older.

“Expanding eligibility for booster doses provides yet another tool to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially at a time when many people are gathering for the holidays,” said Kevin Ban, MD, chief medical officer for Walgreens, in the press release. “As friends and family look to reconnect, Walgreens remains committed to offering convenient access to vaccinations that are critical to helping protect our communities – from COVID-19 primary vaccines and booster shots to flu immunizations.”

Eligibility for a booster dose extends to those who completed their Pfizer or Moderna primary vaccine series at least 6 months ago or received a Johnson & Johnson dose at least 2 months ago. Individuals will be required to verify their eligibility when scheduling an appointment, as well as provide the manufacturer and date of their last COVID-19 vaccine.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine boosters have received expansions in their emergency use authorization from the FDA. The Pfizer booster dose is the same strength as the doses used in the primary series of the vaccine, whereas the Moderna booster is provided at a 50µg dose level. The expanded authorization for the Moderna vaccine booster follows the results of a phase 2 clinical study evaluating mRNA-1273 which was amended to offer a booster dose, which found that the third dose increased antibody titers above the phase 3 benchmark.

“This emergency use authorization comes at a critical time as we enter the winter months and face increasing COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations across the country,” said Stéphane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna, in a prepared statement.

The Pfizer approval follows similar topline results, which demonstrated that individuals who received the booster shot had a relative vaccine efficacy of 95% compared to those who did not receive a booster.

“With boosters, more adults will now have the opportunity to help preserve a high-level of protection against this disease,” said Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, in a prepared statement. “We are grateful to the FDA for their rigorous review, and the action taken today that we hope will help accelerate our path out of this pandemic.”

Appointments can be scheduled at Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine or by calling 1-800-WALGREENS.

REFERENCE

Walgreens now providing all COVID-19 vaccine boosters for individuals ages 18 and older. Walgreens. News release. November 19, 2021. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://news.walgreens.com/press-center/walgreens-now-providing-all-covid-19-vaccine-boosters-for-individuals-ages-18-and-older.htm