Summit County Health Department will offer Moderna booster shots

U.S. officials said that before any booster program starts up, the Food and Drug Administration and a CDC advisory panel would need to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an extra dose. Photo: Mufid Majnun

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — This week, U.S. health officials announced their intention to distribute COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans, as the delta variant continues to wreak havoc in a country that thought it was exiting the pandemic.

The first boosters would go to high-priority groups (similar to the initial vaccine rollout), such as those with underlying health conditions.

The plan is somewhat controversial on the world stage given the lack of vaccine distribution in poor countries.

“We’re planning to hand out extra life jackets to people who already have life jackets, while we’re leaving other people to drown without a single life jacket,” said Dr. Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies chief.

According to the White House, the U.S. has donated 115 million doses to 80 countries, more than all other nations combined.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy denied the notion that the U.S. has to choose between itself and the world. “We clearly see our responsibility to both,” Murthy said.

The Summit County Health Department announced that they will only have Moderna boosters available for eligible individuals — which right now is solely people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

This includes people who have:

• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.
• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
• Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response.
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection.

Individuals must be 18 years or older for the Moderna booster. Also, your second vaccine jab has to be at least 28 days before a booster shot.

Eligible immunocompromised individuals are encouraged to contact their primary care physician or pharmacy to receive the booster vaccine.

“Officials said that before any booster program starts up, the Food and Drug Administration and a CDC advisory panel would need to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an extra dose,” the AP reports.