How to make an appointment for an updated COVID booster shot near you

Updated coronavirus booster shots designed to fight the latest strains of coronavirus are now available in the Raleigh-Durham area.

These newest shots are free to the public. People are not required to pay, show I.D. or have health insurance to get the latest booster shot.

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Who should get the updated booster?

Anyone 12 and older is eligible for Pfizer's updated booster shot and anyone 18 years or older is eligible for Moderna's shot.

People who have not had a booster shot or COVID-19 within the last two months should consider getting this shot, health officials said.

The protection from this booster is expected to last several months.

If you haven't had a previous booster shot ever, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you get this latest one instead. It is more effective than the previous booster shot, according to the CDC.

What's the difference between this booster and the last one?

“[It’s like] peanut butter and jelly. It’s two for one,” said UNC Health Infectious Disease Specialist David Wohl.

Wohl said the new booster due out this week has bonus ingredients to fight against BA.4 and BA.5, which are the most common strains of the virus across the country.

“The cherry on top there is a component that helps your body fight of BA.5,” Wohl said. “It’s the latest flavor of omicron most people getting infected with.”

BA.5 accounts for 84% of cases reported in North Carolina during the past 2 weeks, according to the state department of Health and Human Services.

“This is a very super-spreading virus,” Wohl said.

Wohl believes the new boosters could be a key player in how the rest of the year plays out.

“My hope is that since we have so many people immune to BA.5 because hundreds of thousands are catching it every week and because people are getting vaccinated, especially with this new booster, our community immunity will be such that we will blunt a huge surge,” Wohl said.

More than 450 people are dying each day from coronavirus in the U.S., according to an analysis of CDC data from the New York Times.

Boosters available at pharmacies

There are available appointments at Walgreens across Raleigh, Durham and Cary. The earliest time you can book an appointment at Walgreens is Friday, according to their website.

In order to make sure you receive the right shot, make sure when scheduling your appointment on Walgreens' website that you select "COVID-19 additional dose or booster."

Appointments are available at CVS as soon as Wednesday morning, according to their website. You have to make an appointment first before you can receive the latest booster.

Appointments for booster shots were available Wednesday morning at the CVS inside the Target at North Hills, the CVS inside the Target in Garner and at the CVS on Walnut Street in Cary.

Boosters available through Wake County health department

Wake County's shipment of Moderna boosters have arrived as of Wednesday afternoon. The shipment of Pfizer vaccines was delivered late Tuesday night. The county is in the process of delivering both the Moderna and Pfizer doses to vaccine sites on Wednesday afternoon.

A spokesperson said the county plans to open its appointment system for the new boosters at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday with openings as early as Thursday. These booster shots will be available primarily by appointment only.

Once appointments are available, people can book a booster shot appointment by going to county's website, and selecting the option for a booster.

There are also pop-up clinics in Wake County offering booster shots starting Wednesday. Visit the Wake County Public Health's vaccine information website and click on the tab that says "Free COVID-19 Vaccine Events in Your Community."

This week there will be a vaccine event Wednesday at the Wake Juvenile Detention Center in Raleigh from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

On Thursday, there will be another community vaccination event at the Interfood Plaza Latina from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on North Market Drive in Raleigh.

On Friday, updated boosters will be offered at the Las Carolinas Supermarket from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. off Wake Chapel Road in Fuquay-Varina.

Boosters available through Durham County health department

The Durham County Health Department will be administering updated COVID-19 vaccinations through pop-up clinics. No appointment is required.

People can receive an updated booster shot at the county's clinics on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 pm.

The clinic is on 414 East Main Street in Durham.