COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Owings Mills

OWINGS MILLS, MD — Booster shots, available at pharmacies and clinics in Baltimore 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.

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

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 around Owings Mills, go to:

• CVS Owings Mills, 10201 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117
• CVS Reisterstown, 11623 Reisterstown Rd., Reisterstown MD 21136
• Costco Owings Mills, 10270 Mill Run Circle, Owings Mills MD 21117
• GBMC Owings Mills Family Care, 10085 Red Run Blvd, Ste. 105, Owings Mills, MD 21117
• Giant Food Owings Mills, 10210 Mill Run Circle, Owings Mills, MD 21117
• Metro Xtracare Primary and Urgent Care, 3608 Milford Mill road, Baltimore, MD. 21244. Call 443-272-7858 to make an appointment.
• Randallstown Community Center, 3505 Resource Dr, Randallstown, MD, 21133. Open from 3–7 p.m. for children and those 12 and up on Tuesday, Dec. 21. It is also open from 3–7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28, for children up to 11 and those 12 and up.
• Rite Aid Owings Mills, 9300 Lakeside Boulevard, Owings Mills, MD 21117
• Safeway Owings Mills, 10335 Reisterstown Rd., Owings Mills MD 21117
• Walgreens Pikesville, 1838 Greene Tree Road Pikesville, MD 21208
• Walmart Owings Mills, 9750 Reisterstown Rd., Ste A, Owings Mills, MD 21117
• Wegman's Pharmacy, #125 Owings Mills, 10100 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117

Those in Baltimore County who are medically homebound and cannot get to a vaccine clinic can email the Department of Health at COVIDVax@baltimorecountymd.gov or call the COVID-19 hotline at 410-887-3816. Officials say they will schedule a time for in-home vaccination.