LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — Hyvee pharmacies are now administering free booster doses of the Johnson and Johnson and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a Moderna booster dose for the following Moderna vaccine recipients at least 6 months after their second vaccine dose:
• Long-term care facility residents
• Individuals ages 65+
• Individuals ages 18+ with underlying medical conditions,(as outlined by the CDC)
• Individuals ages 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting
They also recommend a booster dose for all J&J vaccine recipients ages 18 and older at least 2 months after their first vaccine dose.
Many people didn't want to waste a minute to get their booster, including Arnold and Sharon Williamson.
"We’ve been waiting patiently," Arnold Williamson said.
For the couple, getting a vaccine and a booster is the key to their hope for the future.
"Get our country stabilized again, get people back to work," Arnold Williamson said.
Thanks to the CDC's approval of mixing vaccines, the couple was able to receive the Moderna booster shot after originally getting the Johnson and Johnson shot.
Arnold Williamson said they both trust the science.
"The scientists say it won’t bother us, and we are too old to be afraid of dying," Arnold Williamson said.
A recent study gives credibility to mixing and matching.
The National Institute of Health found people who originally received the J&J vaccine appear to have a better immune response if they get a booster made by Pfizer or Moderna.
The study has not been peer reviewed.
Rhonda Hughes received her third dose of Moderna vaccine Friday. She said her and her husband want to do their part for others and protect themselves.
"We both lived through the polio epidemic and we didn’t have anything and it was scarier as all get out because we knew people who had iron lungs so we decided that it’s kind of the same thing as this," Hughes said.
Hyvee is asking people make an appointment for a booster online.
