The city of Philadelphia has received 41,000 reformulated doses of the newest bi-valent COVID-19 vaccine. Health officials say the doses offer better protection against both the original coronavirus, and its variants.
Currently, the BA.5 variant is dominant among cases in the United States.
Roughly 36 percent of vaccinated adults in Philadelphia have already received at least one booster according to city reports.
Assistant professor in Temple’s College of Public Health, Dr. Priscila Mullachery, said the booster is important for individual health, and the safety of the community.
“There is the possibility for new variants, winter is approaching so we definitely need to keep vigilant and make sure we are protected.”
Temple University students are currently able to get COVID-19 testing at Morgan Hall. The university, however, intends to end asymptomatic testing next month.
Students like senior Vivienne Phengvat feel that a booster clinic at Temple would encourage higher vaccination rates.
“I think it is more so the inconvenience of going out of the way to get a vaccine if it is not offered on campus,” Phengvat said.
Student Health Services has a small number of doses that they will be giving out, but Assistant Clinical Director Dr. Thomas Trojan says a clinic is not yet in the works .
“We’re not planning to do booster clinics because of the fact that we have a limited supply,” Dr. Trojan said. “We have enough for people who want it, but we don’t have the same number of boosters we did before. It’s not yet available in that range.”
Various pharmacies in the North Philly area are distributing doses of the booster, including the CVS on North 13th Street next to main campus.
To receive a booster, you must be over the age of 12 to be eligible for the Pfizer booster and over 18 to receive the Moderna dose. For more information, you can click here.
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