DETROIT (WWJ) The City of Detroit will be offering bivalent COVID-19 boosters to residents as young as five, following Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The Moderna and Pfizer Bivalent boosters are intended to protect against both the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variants (BA.4-BA.5), as the virus has evolved over time.
The Detroit Health Department will be providing Pfizer Bivalent boosters to start with. The Moderna Bivalent booster will likely be available within weeks, according to health officials.
A resident can receive the Pfizer Bivalent at: the Detroit Health Department on Mack Avenue (Monday-Friday, 8a-4:30p), the Northwest Activities Center on Meyers (Monday-Friday, 10a-6p and 9a-1p on Saturday 10/22), and at the Samaritan Center on Conner (Monday-Friday, 9a-4p).
The Pfizer Bivalent has been granted EUA for children five and older, and the Moderna Bivalent, for children six and older. The Detroit Health Department said a resident can receive either shot, regardless of previous vaccinations for COVID-19, so long as it’s “age appropriate.”
It can also be administered at the same time as a flu shot, according to the Detroit Health Department.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said previous iterations of boosters— called monovalent— do provide some protection against the Omicron, but “not as much as the updated bivalent boosters.”
See the CDC's booster recommendation guidelines HERE.
The FDA reports the most common side effects of the bivalent booster include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, swelling of the lymph nodes in the same arm of the injection, nausea/vomiting and fever.
Walk-ins are accepted to receive the bivalent boosters in Detroit. However, an appointment is recommended. Appointments can be made here or by texting “vaccine” to (313) 329-7272.