COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Bel Air

BEL AIR, MD — Booster shots, available at pharmacies and clinics in Harford County, are the best defense against COVID-19 illnesses as the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across the country, according to health officials.

Breakthrough COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant — infections among the vaccinated — are less common among people who have received their third vaccination shots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The omicron variant, first reported in South Africa on Nov. 24, has been detected in all but a handful of states, including Maryland.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, said Friday the Pfizer and Moderna booster shots work well against the omicron variant and that there's no need for a specific vaccine to fight it.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the omicron variant is likely to become the dominant coronavirus strain in the coming weeks. It currently represents 3 percent of new infections.

Public health officials are concerned that vaccination rates — currently 61 percent of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated, and only 28 percent have gotten booster shots — are insufficient to fend off a fifth wave of the coronavirus. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing, with about 120,000 new cases and 1,200 deaths reported each day, mainly from the delta variant.

To get a booster shot in Harford County, go to:

• CVS Abingdon, 403 Constant Friendship Blvd, Abingdon
• CVS Bel Air, 580 Marketplace Drive, Bel Air
• CVS Forest Hill, 1519 Rock Spring Rd., Forest Hill
• Giant Food Abingdon, 3299 Emmorton Road Abingdon
• Giant Food Bel Air, 1401 Rock Spring Road, Bel Air
• Harford County Health Department, 1321 Woodbridge Station Way Edgewood. It is open five days a week by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To make an appointment, call 410-612-1779. It offers the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
• Redner's Pharmacy Bel Air, 2126 N. Fountain Green Road, Bel Air. Call 410-838-7694.
• Plumtree Family Health Center, 104 Plumtree Road, Suite 102, Bel Air
• Rite Aid Bel Air, 5 Bel Air South Pky, Suite 1347 Bel Air
• Rite Aid Forest Hill, 1520 Rock Spring Road, Forest Hill
• Safeway Bel Air, 225 Brierhill Drive, Bel Air
• ShopRite on Main Street, 223 Main Street, Bel Air
• ShopRite of Festival, 5 Bel Air South Parkway, Bel Air
• ShopRite of Forest Hill, 2101 Rock Spring Rd., Forest Hill
• ShopRite of Riverside, 1321 Riverside Parkway, Belcamp
• Walgreens Abingdon, 3005 Emmorton Rd, Abingdon
• Walgreens Bel Air, 1927 Emmorton Rd., Bel Air
• Walgreens Bel Air, 1600 E Churchville Rd., Bel Air
• Walgreens Fallston, 2101 Fallston Rd., Fallston
• Walgreens Forest Hill, 2016 Rock Spring Rd., Forest Hill
• Walmart Fallston, 303 Fallston Blvd., Fallston
• Weis Pharmacy, 550 West Macphail Road, Bel Air

The CDC says Pfizer and Moderna booster shots both provide increased protection against COVID-19 and helped prevent severe symptoms in breakthrough cases.