SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District will offer COVID-19 booster shots and $100 incentives for arm jabs coming this fall.
The department will roll out the third shot starting on Sept. 20 for those who received their last dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least eight months ago, Metro Health Director Claude A. Jacob told Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday.
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Some providers and pharmacies in the area are already booking appointments, and certain patients have already received their third dose, he added.
“Just know right now we’re working on a plan in addition to tweaking the messaging,” Jacob said. ”While right now we’re encouraging folks to get vaccinated, right now we’re making sure that folks know that rather than just depending say the Alamodome or Wonderland, that they can contact their area providers just to ensure they get their third dose.”
“... we do depend on them (providers) this time around different than where we were in January or February,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration said transplant recipients or those with weakened immune systems can get the Pfizer or Moderna booster. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced plans to disperse the added protection to all Americans amid a surge during back-to-school season.
Health officials said they are awaiting more data about a possible booster for the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, but they are likely.
So far, Pfizer’s vaccine, jointly developed with Germany’s BioNTech, is the only shot to receive full FDA approval for those ages 16 and older. It was previously under emergency use authorization, which is still the case for those ages 12 to 15.
Claude said that between March and August, the vaccine’s effectiveness in nursing home patients decreased from 67.5% to 53.1%
It is 95% effective for vaccinated patients in hospitals, he added. The majority of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
Claude added that the city will offer $100 gift cards for people getting their first or second dose starting this fall, thanks to federal funding.
In a separate briefing, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the COVID-19 positivity rate for the Bexar County area decreased to 13.6%, down from 16.9% last week.
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