Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) begin administering booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines Oct. 25 after authorizations by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot was authorized in September and is available at LVHN vaccine clinics.

LVHN’s five COVID-19 vaccination clinics operate on different schedules. Those seeking boosters should check the schedule of the clinic they will visit. Staff at the vaccine clinics consult with clinic patients to help ensure they are getting the correct vaccine for their visit, be it a first or second dose of an initial vaccine series, a third shot for someone who is immuno-compromised or a booster shot.

Scheduling a Moderna or Johnson & Johnson booster can be done starting Oct. 25. Scheduling is encouraged and can be completed through MyLVHN, the patient portal, or by calling the COVID-19 vaccine hotline at 833-584-6283 (833-LVHN-CVD). The hotline is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

While appointments are recommended, walk-ins also are accepted at LVHN vaccine clinics.

Those seeking booster shots should bring a vaccine card to the vaccine clinic so the cards can be updated.

Based on authorizations to date, the Pfizer and Moderna boosters can be given at least six months after completion of the initial two-shot series for people:

• 65 and older

• 18 and older who live in long-term care settings

• 18 and older who have underlying medical conditions

• 18 and older who work or live in high-risk settings

The federal government gave emergency use authorization approval for the Johnson & Johnson booster to be given at least two months after the initial one-shot J&J vaccination for those 18 and older.

In addition to authorizing the two new boosters, the FDA and CDC are allowing mixing and matching COVID-19 boosters, meaning a booster shot does not have to be from the same manufacturer as the original vaccination series. However, patients should check with their doctor before requesting their booster dose from a different manufacturer.

“Booster shots are certainly helpful, but to truly turn the corner on this pandemic many more of the tens of millions of still unvaccinated adults in the U.S. must get vaccinated. Less than 60 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated,” said Alex Benjamin, MD, Chief Infection Control and Prevention Officer, LVHN.

“The pandemic has already claimed more than 726,000 lives in the U.S. and nearly all current COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths are among the unvaccinated,” Benjamin said.

Information on vaccines and clinics: www.LVHN.org/vaccines

Information on third vaccine shots or boosters: www.LVHN.org/booster