Coloradans Seek A Fourth COVID Booster Shot, Few Are Eligible

DENVER (CBS4) – It's been several months since millions of Americans received their booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. The omicron surge made it clear the virus is still here, but another round of vaccinations isn't on the calendar for most people.

However, some Coloradans have already gotten the jab four times.

Capitol Heights Pharmacy in Denver has gotten several calls from people, who've already been boosted, asking if they're eligible for another shot.

"There are people who are going out of the country. There's people who are nervous. There's people whose doctors are telling them, 'Hey, you should get a second booster,' but we can't always do it," said Carly Callan, a pharmacist at Capitol Heights Pharmacy.

While the CDC says Callan shouldn't give that additional dose to healthy people, she can offer a fourth shot to those who are most vulnerable -- and she has.

While some countries, like Sweden, are already recommending a fourth vaccine dose for the elderly, only the immunocompromised are eligible in the U.S.

Dr. Carrie Horn, Chief Medical Officer at National Jewish Health, says every nation has different circumstances.

"In some countries, the timing of their surges have been a little bit different than ours. If the other country has a population they would consider more at risk, and health care resources are a huge concern, having that fourth dose may help keep them out of hospitals better than only having a third dose," said Horn.

While the CDC said Americans could get their booster vaccine six months after their second dose, there's no data saying another shot is needed six months after that booster.

"We don't know for sure if it's truly the overall effect of the vaccine that's waning or just the antibodies. We know that the antibody levels that you can draw in people's blood is lower, but we're still seeing a really good effect in terms of limited hospitalization, severe illness and death. That's really the end game," said Horn. "The third dose for this omicron surge has really done a good job of keeping people out of the hospital."

While the effectiveness of vaccines wane after a few months, doctors say they're still highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death.

"We want to make sure the resources are getting to the right people. For that fourth dose, those may want to be timed a little bit closer to our next surge, as opposed to now when things are really kind of cooling off," said Horn.

Horn says healthy people who try to get another shot now might get some extra protection, but it's not a good idea, especially if doctors are timing the fourth with the next surge.

"We had a lot of people who were not immunocompromised change their answers and say that they were immunocompromised on the forms just so they could get that extra vaccine. It puts us in a really, really tough situation," said Callan.

Capitol Heights Pharmacy has plenty of vaccines in stock for people who haven't gotten their first, second or booster shots. They're also prepared to offer the fourth dose – for people who need it.