Where To Get COVID Bivalent Booster When Fairfax County Clinics Close

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Children ages 6 months to 4 became eligible for the COVID-19 bivalent booster, but the Fairfax County Health Department's two vaccination clinics will no longer be an option.

The health department previously announced its two remaining COVID-19 vaccine clinics will close in December. The clinic at Gerry Hyland/South County Government Center (8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA) closed on Wednesday, and the last day for the Fairfax County Government Center clinic (12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax, VA) is Saturday.

The bivalent booster for children ages 6 months to 4 is available at the Fairfax County Government Center clinic until its closure on Saturday. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Appointments are encouraged.

Once the clinic closes, the health department will provide vaccine appointments for the 6 months to 4 age group at district offices. To make an appointment, call the Fairfax County Health Department's call center at 703-324-7404.

Families can find other options for the bivalent booster by talking with their health care provider or searching for options at www.vaccines.gov. According to the health department, some health care offices have received the bivalent vaccine for the youngest age group, and others will receive it in the next two weeks. Most pharmacy locations only vaccinate children 3 and older.

The bivalent booster addresses the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the omicron variant that first appeared in November 2021, as well as the original strain of COVID-19 that appeared in Wuhan, China in late 2019. On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Health announced the bivalent booster was available to the younger age group after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded eligibility on Dec. 9 following Food and Drug Administration authorization. The FDA concluded COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for people 6 months and older.

The bivalent Moderna or Pfizer booster is only available to the younger group who received their initial two-dose vaccine; children between 6 months and 4 years who received three vaccine doses are not authorized to receive a bivalent vaccine booster.

In Fairfax County, 22.7 percent of the eligible 0 to 4 age group has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Vaccination rates are higher for older children — 65 percent of the 5 to 11 age group, 94.3 percent of the 12 to 15 age group and 97.9 percent of the 16 to 17 age group.