COVID Vaccine Boosters Now Offered To All Adults In Fairfax Health District

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — COVID-19 vaccine providers in the Fairfax Health District are now offering booster shots to all adults.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded booster eligibility to everyone 18 and older for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. A booster dose or Pfizer or Moderna should be at least six months after the second dose. All booster doses are free.

Previously, Pfizer and Moderna boosters were recommended for anyone 65 and older, adults living in long-term care facilities, adults with underlying health conditions, or adults at higher risk for COVID-19 exposure due to their work setting.

Booster doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine were already recommended for all adults at least two months after the initial dose.

Boosters are not currently recommended for anyone under 18. Children ages 5 and up are eligible for the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna and J&J vaccines are limited to adults 18 and older.

The CDC recommended the boosters after scientific evaluation of safety data, vaccine effectiveness and the current state of the pandemic.

"Booster shots have demonstrated the ability to safely increase people’s protection against infection and severe outcomes and are an important public health tool to strengthen our defenses against the virus as we enter the winter holidays," stated CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. "Based on the compelling evidence, all adults over 18 should now have equitable access to a COVID-19 booster dose."

In the Fairfax Health District, adults can find available appointments near their location at www.vaccines.gov. Fairfax County Health Department appointments at the Fairfax County Government Center and South County Government Center can be found through the Vaccine Administration Management System. To find an appointment at the Tysons Community Vaccination Center inside Tysons Corner Center (former Lord & Taylor store), visit the VDH registration page and search ZIP code 22102.

According to VDH data, 20 percent of the adult population in Fairfax County has a booster dose, 19.3 percent has a booster in Fairfax City and 20.8 percent has a booster in Falls Church City. The Fairfax Health District covers Fairfax County, towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton, and cities of Falls Church and Fairfax.