The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Panel recently voted to recommend booster shots for certain people who earlier received the first two shots of the Moderna vaccine for Covid-19. The FDA usually accepts the recommendations of its advisory panel, so approval is expected soon.
Approval of the Moderna booster is expected for those who are 65 and older, younger people with medical conditions that put them at risk, and those in professions that put them at greater risk because of contact with the public.
The ECHO Clinic, in anticipation of FDA approval, will be starting drive-through vaccination clinics beginning Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. until noon.
“We want to get the ball rolling,” Dr. Dan Bell, co-founder of the ECHO Clinic, said. “By getting started sooner, we can avoid giving these shots in the cold days of winter. Anyone working with the public from healthcare workers to bankers and grocery store clerks ought to receive the booster shot because they are right there on the front lines. It is on an honor system. You don’t have to prove you are essential worker.”
Bell said ECHO has an ample supply of the Moderna, which has proven to be the most effective and long-lasting of the vaccine options. ECHO received 42 vials of Moderna this past week, which will provide enough vaccine for more than 800 shots.
“They will continue to send us supplies as needed,” Bell said.
Moderna booster shots will be half the dose of the first and second shots.
“The Moderna shot requires just a half dose to get the antibody levels up to the desired levels,” Bell said. “Antibody levels are higher with the Moderna. The Moderna is just a better vaccine. The initial Moderna vaccines were .5 cc versus .3 cc with Pfizer. At six months, the antibody levels with the Moderna are holding up much better. The other thing about the half dose is to minimize the unwanted side effects.”
Some residents who already received their Moderna booster shot reported more side effects than with the first two shots.
Bell said if you feel like you are at increased risk, you should get the booster shot.
“People at low risk should probably wait a little longer until the recommendations are broadened,” Bell said. “We will not question you. If you are a healthy person who works in a low-risk job, you don’t have to get it right now. It leaves it up to you.”
Bell said another consideration with the lower dose is stretching the availability of the vaccine worldwide so manufacturers can provide supplies to Third World countries and other areas that need it.
“That is something we should do,” Bell said. “The vaccine manufacturers have limited ability to make this in the world. The less we use in the U.S., the more that is available to other countries.”
After it is formally approved by the FDA, Smith Drugs in Eureka will be giving the Moderna boosters Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. by appointment. Call (479) 253-9175.
“If you need an afternoon appointment, go to Smith’s,” Bell said. “We would prefer people do the drive through at ECHO if possible. That is safer, quicker and easier for everyone.”
The register for an appointment for the Moderna booster, go the website bit.ly/echo-vax.
Booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine were approved earlier. People who want the Pfizer booster can go to Eureka Springs Hospital from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays or to the Carroll County Health Department in Berryville. Both those locations also offer the Moderna shot.
There is concern about a twin-demic if people become ill and don’t know whether it is the flu or Covid.
“People should be getting their flu shot, too, and I personally think they should be separated a little bit, like a week or two,” Bell said. “If you have a reaction, how do you know which one is causing it?”
Bell is pleased to see that the number of new cases of Covid-19, hospitalizations, deaths and active cases have all declined in Arkansas and Eureka Springs.
“The numbers are looking good,” Bell said. “The number of active cases is down considerably too. We were at more than 21,000 active cases and it has dropped 6,600. So, it has dropped by two thirds.”
As of Oct. 18, Carroll County had 25 new cases of Covid-19 reported in the previous week. There were an estimated 45 active infections. In comparison, on Aug. 16 and 23, the county had 231 active cases of Covid. Carroll County has about 44 percent of its adults vaccinated, compared to about 57 percent for the entire country.
According to The New York Times online Covid-19 data checker, based on information from the CDC, people in Carroll County are at very high risk for transmission of Covid-19. Because of substantial spread, the CDC recommends that even vaccinated people wear masks here. Since January of last year, the CDC estimates at least 1 in 7 people who live in Carroll County have been infected, and at least 1 in 389 people have died.
However, the same source shows the current rate of new Covid cases in Carroll County is about half that of the national average for the two-week period ending Oct. 18 with daily cases per 100,000 in Carroll County at 13 compared to 25 cases per 100,000 on average in the U.S.
The county’s largest employer, Tyson, has mandated vaccines for its workforce, and has said it is approaching 100 percent compliance.