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09.28.21

COVID-19 Update | September 28, 2021

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COVID-19 Update

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  • COVID-19
  • Disease Management

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coronavirus COVID-19

This report from the Missouri Hospital Association is designed to help you stay abreast of recent developments related to COVID-19.

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1.5 Million Pfizer Booster Shots Needed In Missouri, Nearly One-Third Are Past-Due

Staff Contact: Mat Reidhead or Jackie Gatz

Last Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance for the administration of third booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine was the first with trial data sufficient for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fully evaluate safety and efficacy for emergency use authorization, which is expected for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines soon.

The interim guidance from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and additional inclusions made by Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., MPH, recommends boosters for the following groups six months after completion of the original two-dose Pfizer series.

    • Individuals ages 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities and individuals ages 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions SHOULD receive the third dose.
    • Individuals ages 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions and individuals 18 to 64 with increased occupational risk, such as front-line health care and essential service sector workers, MAY choose to receive the third dose for enhanced immune response.

Evaluating Missouri’s recipients of the Pfizer vaccine by their date of series initiation against dates corresponding with the state’s phased distribution strategy in late 2020 and early 2021 illuminates potential demand for the booster shots among eligible residents (the estimates below are based on the Phase and Tier during which the individual initiated the series, while due dates are projected by adding 183 days to the prime series completion date for each individual; 196,235 individuals who did not complete the prime Pfizer series are excluded from this analysis).

    • 97,695 Missourians initiated the two-dose Pfizer vaccine series during Phase 1A (beginning Dec. 14, 2020), which prioritized front-line health care workers and long-term care facility residents and staff
    • 456,169 Missourians initiated the series during Phase 1B Tiers 1-2 (1B Tier 1 began Jan. 14, 2021, and Tier 2 began Jan. 18, 2021), which covered adults ages 65 and older, ages 18 and older with underlying medical conditions, first responders, emergency services personnel and public health workers
    • 187,080 Missourians initiated the series during Phase 1B Tier 3 (beginning March 13, 2021), which included critical infrastructure workers
    • 148,682 Missourians initiated during Phase 2 (beginning March 29, 2021), which covered workers in disproportionately affected sectors and homeless individuals
    • 612,969 Missourians initiated during Phase 3 (beginning April 9, 2021), which granted access to all Missourians

Yesterday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services amended its standing order for the Pfizer vaccine, immediately opening access to the booster doses for eligible Missourians, including all initiates during 1A and 1B Tiers 1 and 2. As of today, there are 488,560 eligible Missourians who completed their prime Pfizer-BioNTech series six or more months ago. The rollout of guidance surrounding the booster shots has, at times, been clouded by confusion and competing information from government sources; however, trial data show an immune response from the third Pfizer dose that exceeds the response induced by the completed original series. If you are uncertain of when or where to receive your Pfizer booster dose, please consult your physician and also consider receiving your annual influenza vaccine at the same time.

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