COVID

DPH: Supply of new Moderna COVID vaccine booster is ‘temporarily limited’

There are, however, "ample supplies" of the Pfizer booster shots.

Bess Adler/The New York Times

September 16, 2022

Booster Shots:

Massachusetts residents looking to get a jab of the new Moderna bivalent COVID-19 booster may have to wait a bit longer.

There is a “temporarily limited supply” of the vaccine shots nationally, as the Cambridge-based manufacturer ramps up its production of the latest booster batch, a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health told Boston.com on Friday.

A post on the Northampton city website earlier this week stated DPH issued a notice on Monday about the shortage after orders for boosters slated to arrive that day were canceled unexpectedly.

“This formulation is currently not available for ordering until September 19th or later,” the website states.

In the meantime, according to the DPH spokesperson, Massachusetts has “ample supplies of the bivalent Pfizer COVID-19 booster.”

“It is important to note that your booster does not need to be the same vaccine brand as your original COVID-19 vaccination, but does need to be age appropriate,” the spokesperson said.

Currently, people between the ages of 12 and 17 can receive only the Pfizer booster. Anyone age 18 or over can receive either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The FDA granted emergency use authorizations for both vaccines late last month. The new boosters contain two strains of the messenger RNA components of COVID-19: one from the original COVID virus strain and another shared between the highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants.

Individuals are eligible for the booster shot at least two months after a primary or booster vaccination.

Massachusetts residents can schedule a vaccine appointment on the state’s website.

In Boston, those who get a vaccine dose during the “B Healthy Back-to-School” event hosted by the Boston Public Health Commission at White Stadium in Franklin Park on Saturday are eligible for a $75 gift card.

The family fun day, which will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will also include free food, music, face painting, and games. The BPHC will also dole out backpacks to students and families.