The emergence of the new “Omicron” strain of the COVID-19 is now on people’s minds, increasing the number of those asking questions about their vaccination status, such as:
Should I get a booster shot?
And, where can I get it?
The short answers: yes, if you are an adult, at several locations around Osceola County.
Per the Florida Department of Health in Osceola County, the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) has endorsed and expanded recommendations for booster shots to include all adults ages 18 years and older who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months after their second dose, or two months after receiving the single Johnson & Johnson dose.
And it’s of importance now locally as CovidActNow, a non-profit that posts statbased information each morning, bumped both the state of Florida and Osceola County up from Moderate, the third of five ratings, to High risk of transmission on its U.S. COVID Risk & Vaccine tracker. Florida was one of just three or four Moderate states over the last weeks or so, and while Osceola County is now in the High category (below Very High and Severe), only five counties were at Low or Moderate on Monday.
So now that getting a booster — or a first or second dose for those who have waited — is more important than ever, what’s an easy way to find a location to get it?
You want easy? Then just look at your phone.
Text your ZIP code to 438829. In a matter of moments, powered by the CDC-backed website vaccines.gov, you will be sent a list of two to four local pharmacies or other locations where you can get a vaccine or booster shot, their contact information, and which brand of the vaccine is available for which ages.
While most local store pharmacies — think CVS, Walgreens and Publix, and those will likely come up via the text — have the shots available with or without an appointment, the Osceola Health Department has both the Pfizer and Moderna boosters available for those 18 years and older Tuesday through Thursday. Call 407-552-0120 to schedule an appointment.
Health department spokesperson Jeremy Lanier said there’s definitely been an uptick in the demand for boosters in recent days, but there’s supply for all those who want an appointment or booster. “It’s clearly of a higher
“It’s clearly of a higher priority now to the presence of the Omicron variant and people’s concern with that,” he said. “But we’ve been processing people with ease, and the whole process takes less than 25 minutes, including the post-shot observation.”
