Heritage Hall to host Bivalent booster vaccine clinic on Sept. 10

The Athens City-County Health Department will host a booster vaccine clinic at Heritage Hall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Sept. 10, where the new Bivalent booster will be distributed to individuals in the community.

All individuals who want the Bivalent booster vaccine must make an appointment online at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov or through their local pharmacy.

Individuals 12 and older are eligible if it has been at least two months since their last primary or booster dose of the vaccine. Those unable to attend can reach out to their pharmacy or primary care provider for more information on scheduling their booster vaccine.

Campus Care and the Heritage Hall Clinic, through the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Community Health Programs, plan to have boosters available soon and are preparing for additional opportunities to provide the booster on campus throughout the fall.

The Bivalent vaccines, also known as “updated boosters,” contain two messenger RNA components of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, one of the original strain and the other part of the lineage of the omicron variant.

According to the CDC, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Bivalent, is authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 18 years of age and older and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Bivalent, is authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 12 years of age and older. 

Currently, the predominant circulating strain in the U.S. is the BA5, and it is expected that the updated boosters will better protect against the circulating strains.

Those receiving the booster vaccine through the clinic should bring their vaccine card and their insurance card. A parent or guardian must be present for anyone under the age of 18 receiving the booster.

Heritage Hall is located at 191 West Union St., with parking available on the east side of the building.

For more information or questions, call 740-592-4431. More information on the University's vaccine requirements and exemptions can be found here.