Food, Agriculture, and Grocery Workers Can Get Pfizer Booster Shots in Oregon

Food and agriculture workers who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for booster shots in Oregon. Gov. Kate Brown announced the state’s plan for administering COVID-19 booster shots: Oregonians over 65 years old and people 18 to 64 with underlying conditions are eligible, as well as workers who are in occupational settings that increase their risk of developing a serious case of COVID-19 — including food, agriculture, and grocery workers.

Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have endorsed the use of Pfizer booster shots in certain populations, namely adults 65 and older, adults 50 to 64 years old with underlying conditions, and those who work in places with an increased risk of COVID-19 spread. Those occupations, as defined by health officials, include first responders, health care workers, educational workers, manufacturing workers, those who work in correctional settings, the US Postal Service, transit workers, and food workers. The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, which helps inform policy decisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic along the West Coast, independently reviewed the data and the federal recommendations, and also signed off on the plan for booster shots; however, the workgroup expanded the recommendations for younger people with underlying conditions, recommending anyone between the ages of 18 and 64 with underlying conditions.

At the moment, booster shots are only recommended to people who received both of their Pfizer vaccine shots at least six months ago. That would mean that most grocery workers, who became eligible for vaccines in Oregon on April 5, will likely not be able to receive their booster shots until later this month, unless they received their first dose within the first few days of eligibility. There are more than 400,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine available in the state, which should be plenty for those who have received the Pfizer vaccine. Those who received other COVID-19 vaccines — specifically, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — have yet to be approved for booster shots.

Those looking for a COVID-19 booster can use vaccines.gov to search for an appointment.

• The new guidelines for Covid-19 booster shots, explained [Vox]
• Oregon to allow booster COVID-19 vaccine shots for eligible residents after final hurdle [O]
• Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup Recommends Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Booster Shot After Six Months [Official]