BUFFALO, N.Y. — Officials in Erie County rolled up their sleeves Friday for a new COVID shot.
This is not a booster. It's what Erie County officials called a reformulated vaccine.
Moving forward, your typical COVID booster won't be available; the focus will be on new versions of vaccines.
"To those that are thinking, 'Oh, I am just going to take another booster, it's only going to be good for like four weeks or something like that as we saw before,' no, this is not the case," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said.
"This is specifically formulated for the new omicron variants. It appears to have really good reaction and ability to prevent serious illness. That is our big worry, of course. There are still people dying in Erie County as a result of COVID 19."
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out a recommendation for Americans to receive these new vaccines.
Anyone 12 years old and up can get the new Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is for anyone over 18, as long as it's been two months since your last COVID shot.
Pharmacies and primary care providers already have these vaccines.
Erie County will release its own clinic schedule on Monday.
And for anyone who has trouble getting out to a site, public health officials will make house calls.
To learn more information about the new vaccines or to eventually schedule an appointment to receive one, you can visit the Erie County Department of Health website.