COVID-19 Pfizer booster shots available in Waimea
Third dose booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are available for certain immunocompromised patients at Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea.
Vaccinations are available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays with no appointment necessary. The QNHCH COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic is located on the south side of hospital campus near the Emergency Room. There is no cost to patients for the vaccination and insurance is not required.
Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. The Pfizer vaccine has emergency use authorization from the FDA for children as young as 12.
Examples of those who may quality for the booster shot at this time include patients undergoing active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies, recipients of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy, those with advanced or untreated HIV, chronic dialysis patients, and patients with medical conditions with varied immunodeficiency such as sickle cell disease, end stage renal disease, and chronic liver disease.
The booster is the same administration and dosage as initial vaccine. If an individual received Pfizer initially, they should receive a Pfizer booster. If an individual received Moderna initially, they should receive a Moderna booster and should go to a clinic that offers the Moderna booster. If an individual received Johnson &Johnson initially, they should not receive a booster at this time.
Individuals seeking a booster should wait a minimum of four weeks after their second dose. Patients will complete a pre-assessment form as well as an attestation form which will be reviewed with the clinic nurse to determine qualification. There is no need for approval by the patient’s primary care provider.
For more details, visit www.covid.queens.org/vaccine-booster-faq/
HCFCU holds Relay for Life event
Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union on Saturday held its Relay for Life event in Kailua-Kona.
The event, held at the credit union’s Oluwalu Street branch, featured cancer survivors participating in a drive-through streamed live on Facebook and Na Leo TV. It was the culmination of a fundraising effort that featured a silent auction, and the sale of a special cookbook, luminaria bags and ribbons to benefit the American Cancer Society.