CVS, Walgreens Begin Offering COVID-19 Booster Doses To Moderna, J&J Recipients (2024)

CVS and Walgreens expanded their offering of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots after the CDC approved extra doses of Moderna and J&J vaccines.

Posted Fri, Oct 22, 2021 at 2:07 pm ET|Updated Sun, Oct 24, 2021 at 1:17 pm ET

Walgreens said both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots will be available in certain stores. CVS Health announced Friday that select pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations are now offering the Moderna COVID-19 booster shot to eligible populations, in addition to the previously authorized Pfizer COVID-19 booster.

The moves follow the Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization and the new approvals from the CDC. The FDA authorized Pfizer booster doses on Sept. 24.

Both pharmacy chains said that eligible populations can now choose to receive a dose different from the one they received for their initial series, following the new guidance from both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration.

The use of mixing and matching allows COVID-19 boosters to be used interchangeably with any COVID vaccine. For example, a J&J vaccine recipient may get a Moderna or Pfizer booster at least two months after their initial J&J dose. The Moderna booster will be a 50-microgram dose, half the amount used in a single dose in the primary series.

Eligibility requirements for Moderna and Pfizer booster doses are the same. People must wait at least six months after they complete their initial COVID-19 primary vaccine series to receive their booster dose. Eligible people include:

• People aged 65 and older.
• Long-term care facility residents ages 18 and older.
• People aged 18 and older with underlying medical conditions. People aged 18 to 49 should consider individual benefits and risks, according to CDC guidance.
• People aged 18 to 64 who are at an increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting, such as healthcare and essential workers, based on their individual benefits and risks.

A single vaccine booster dose is recommended for people 18 and older who received a J&J primary dose at least two months after they receive their initial J&J primary vaccine dose.

The CDC's expansion of eligibility aligns with the FDA's authorization Wednesday night, which said people could switch to whichever vaccine they wanted for their booster shot.

Meanwhile, booster shots of the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna COVID-19 booster shots will be available to Loudoun County residents beginning on Saturday through the county health department.

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Vaccines are available at the Loudoun County Health Department's Dulles Town Center clinic. Currently, vaccinations at the clinic are being offered by appointment only. Residents can set up a free COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the county's website.

Those interested in getting a booster shot at Walgreens can schedule an appointment through the store's website or by calling a local Walgreens store.

People interested in receiving a COVID-19 booster at CVS can make an appointment at CVS.com or the CVS App.

When scheduling an appointment on CVS.com, people will be asked to provide the manufacturer and date of their last COVID-19 vaccine and will be able to schedule an appointment for a Moderna or Pfizer booster dose if they have had two previous doses with the same vaccine at least six months prior, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months prior.

Based on CDC guidance, people will be asked to self-attest to their eligibility as defined by the eligibility guidelines to help reduce barriers to access for the populations most in need of the booster.

Residents may also schedule a flu vaccine at the same time as their COVID-19 vaccine when scheduling online at CVS. CDC guidance allows for administration of any of the currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as the flu vaccine.

“The systems we’ve built and our deep experience in providing vaccinations allows us to play a leading role in administering booster shots to eligible populations,” Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., MPH, executive vice president and chief medical officer of CVS Health, said in a statement Friday. “We also remain focused on providing easy and convenient opportunities for the unvaccinated to receive their first doses.”

CVS said it has administered more than 34 million COVID-19 vaccines and 32 million COVID-19 tests across the country since the start of the pandemic.