Illinois set to receive 580,000 doses of new COVID-19 booster after FDA approval on Wednesday

Illinois is set to receive 580,000 doses of a new updated COVID-19 booster after two variations of the shot were approved Wednesday, according to the state health department. As a result, some pharmacy chains are requiring customers to reschedule booster appointments.

The Food and Drug Administration approved on Wednesday a new version of the Pfizer and Moderna shots, which target the dominant omicron variant.

At this point, the exact amount of doses each county will get, along with the schedule for distributing them has not yet been determined, Illinois Public Information Officer Mike Claffey said Wednesday. He said the state expects to receive the doses within the next week or so, and distribution should start soon after.

“We are strongly encouraging everyone who has been fully vaccinated for at least two months to contact their healthcare provider or health department and to get this new booster, which is considered to be very effective,” Claffey said.

Until now, COVID-19 vaccines have targeted the original coronavirus strain, even as different mutants have emerged. The new U.S. boosters are combination, or “bivalent,” shots. They contain half that original vaccine recipe and half protection against the newest omicron versions, called BA.4 and BA.5, which are considered the most contagious yet.

The combination aims to increase cross-protection against multiple variants and blunt a winter surge in cases.

On the vaccination section of the CVS.com, the pharmacy chain said that appointments to get boosters made before the FDA authorization must be canceled. Appointments must be rescheduled through the website or the CVS app.

The chain said it is waiting on approval of the updated booster by Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, also called the ACIP, before inventory can arrive in stores. It expects stores will receive vaccines on a rolling basis over the next few days.

CVS has stores in more than 200 Illinois towns and cities.

Chad Kodiak, owner of KODOCARE Pharmacy in Joliet, said in a 2021 Herald-News story that KODOCARE Pharmacy was one of the first pharmacies in the U.S. to give COVID-19 vaccines because he was already enrolled in the Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange (I-CARE) program.

So Kodiak, who had vaccines available on Jan. 5, 2021, and has since distributed more than 40,000 vaccines, said he checks with “the state” every day on the availability of the new Omicron boosters.

“They are in stock and not authorized yet to distribute it,” Kodiak said.

Kodiak said KODOCARE will offer both the Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech when they are available. KODOCARE accepts both appointments and walk-ins and will still make house calls to people who can’t get to the pharmacy.

Kodiak encouraged people to get the new COVID booster, despite the summer “lull” in cases. As the weather cools, people will spend more time inside with the windows closed, making infectious diseases, including COVID as well as flu easier to spread, he said.

“We’ll have the flu vaccine in stock as well,” Kodiak said. “We know vaccines are the best thing to prevent us from getting sick and ending up in the hospital.”

KODOCARE moved Wednesday to its new location at 2401 W. Jefferson St. Once the new COVID-19 boosters are available, Kodiak will let the community know via his website, social media and signage in the store.

Walgreens said in a written statement said its goal is to ensure the public’s access to COVID-19 vaccines as boosters “as new options become available and as eligibility expands to help provide better protection against COVID-19.”

After the Centers for Disease Control provides addition guidance, the COVID-19 Pfizer and Moderna updated boosters will be available at select Walgreens locations, Walgreen said.

Following CDC approval, people may schedule those appointments through the Walgreens app, at Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine or by calling 1-800-Walgreens.

Mariana Guerrero of Montgomery said she plans to get the updated COVID-19 booster shot when it’s available. Working as a library assistant, the community spread of the virus is contributing to her decision, she said.

“[It’s] just to be safe for little ones,” Guerrero said. “I’m a little bit concerned with the rise in the numbers and all the kids going back to school.”

Laura Breshingham of Oswego, meanwhile, said she is motivated to get the updated COVID-19 booster shot.

“I travel quite a bit,” Breshingham said. “The more protected you can get, the better.”

Breshingham said the fact that the booster shot has been updated doesn’t deter her interest in wanting to get vaccinated, adding she’s never experienced hesitancy with respect to the COVID-19 vaccines.

The Associated Press, Aimee Barrows, Denise Unland and Troy Taylor contributed to this report.