COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them Around Andover

ANDOVER, MA — Booster shots, available at pharmacies near Andover, are the best defense against COVID-19 illnesses as the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across the country, according to health officials.

The town's booster dose clinic Wednesday was booked up within hours, but there are other places around town to get another shot.

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 federal 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 Massachusetts.

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 near Andover, go to:

• North Andover: CVS (Turnpike St): 110 Turnpike St North Andover MA 01845
• North Andover: Walgreens (Waverley Rd): 800 Waverley Rd North Andover MA 01845
• Lawrence: Walgreens (220 South Broadway): 220 S Broadway. Lawrence MA 01843
• Lawrence: Lawrence General Hospital Ambulatory Clinic Booster: 25 Marston St Lawrence MA 01841
• Danvers: Danvers Vaccination Clinic Booster: 1 Ferncroft Rd Danvers MA 01923

You can find more nearby locations with booster doses here.

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