St. Luke's continues to follow the state’s recommendations. We are one of many providers giving COVID-19 vaccinations in Idaho. You can find a list of vaccine providers for your area on the Idaho COVID-19 Vaccination Information site. You can find out which St. Luke’s clinics offer which vaccine when you schedule in MyChart or call St. Luke’s Connect at 208-381-9500.
A single booster dose with an updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is designed to provide broad protection against COVID-19 and better protection against COVID-19 caused by the currently circulating Omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5.
Both mRNA monovalent vaccines remain authorized for primary series use. Those who received the monovalent booster recently should wait at least eight weeks before receiving the bivalent booster.
More information can be found at Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines for Use as a Booster Dose in Younger Age Groups; Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines for Use as a Booster Dose; COVID-19 Bivalent Vaccine Boosters; and At-A-Glance COVID-19 Vaccination Schedules.
St. Luke’s is offering Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children 6 months and over. Information about the vaccines and children is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Beginning Jan. 6, 2023, parents and guardians can schedule children (Pfizer for ages 6 months to 4 years old or Moderna 6 months to 5 years old) to receive the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine as a third dose in the primary series.
On Dec. 8, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 bivalent vaccine as a third dose in the three-dose primary series for children ages 6 months through 4 years old. Moderna is adding a third dose of the bivalent vaccine for this same age group. The bivalent vaccine provides better protection against COVID-19 caused by the currently circulating Omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5. The Pfizer monovalent vaccine is no longer authorized for use as the third dose of the primary series in this age group. St. Luke’s immediately stopped administering the monovalent vaccine to children.
Parents or guardians can find which sites are offering this vaccine to children in MyChart when scheduling. If you are unable to access MyChart, please call 208-381-9500 to make an appointment. Please note, we are not able to accept walk-ins at this time.
Boosters: Based on new federal guidelines, St. Luke’s has stopped administering monovalent boosters to children and will begin scheduling bivalent Moderna boosters for ages 6-17 and Pfizer bivalent boosters to ages 5-11 on Friday, Oct. 28. Pfizer bivalent was previously approved for boosters in ages 12 and up.
Pregnant women with COVID-19 can have severe illness and severe outcomes, including ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death.
That's why St. Luke’s OB/GYN providers recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant. More than 139,000 pregnant women have enrolled in the V-Safe Pregnancy Registry. Data shows there is no risk of miscarriage associated with the vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccines do not cause infection; they do prevent severe illness from COVID-19, which is dangerous for a pregnant woman and her fetus. Maternal infection with the virus is associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery and stillbirth. Vaccinated mothers who are breastfeeding transmit antibodies that may help protect their newborns.
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Pfizer has reported that its vaccine is 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, once seven days have passed since the second vaccine dose (booster shot). The Moderna vaccine is reporting a 94.5% effectiveness rate.
The COVID vaccine will help your body generate antibodies to help protect you from the virus without getting sick. Vaccines can produce longer-lasting protection than if you had the disease. Research shows antibodies in recovering adults last up to four months. The CDC says more data is needed to know how long immunity produced by the vaccination will last.
In a Pfizer trial study, the vaccine prevented the disease in 100 percent of the 1,131 adolescents who received it. Pfizer said the vaccine was well tolerated and side effects were consistent with those reported by people 16-25 years old. Our pediatricians and physicians say it is better to get the vaccine than to risk getting the disease, the symptoms and the possible long-term effects.
Please review the fact sheets for each vaccine, as developed by the manufacturers:
These are not new technologies. The vaccines are actually set up to give us immunity that is better than natural infection. We know the side effects of the natural infection. When we compare the risks to those at the frontlines that are being exposed to the virus and those in our community who are at high-risk for severe disease and death, those risks greatly overshadow the unknown risks of the vaccine.
No, it is made from a portion of the virus’ molecular material (RNA). For more information on the science behind the vaccine, please visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site, Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines. Also check out, Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines.
Yes, because the vaccine is 95% effective, not 100% effective. Those exposed to the virus later, after the booster vaccine, tended to have mild symptoms if they became ill at all.
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It is important to note that reactions after the vaccine and the actual COVID-19 infection are significantly different. Vaccine reactions may involve some mild symptoms occurring in the first couple of days, coupled with the pain at the injection site, redness and swelling (from the vaccine), as noted above. By contrast, the COVID-19 infection reaction has a respiratory component, cough and nasal congestion, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath, much more fever, and also a longer period of muscle pain, fatigue and headache.
Infrequently, people who have received dermal fillers may develop swelling at or near the filler injection site, usually face or lips, after receiving a dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna). It appears to be temporary and can resolve with medical treatment, including corticosteroid therapy. People who have received dermal fillers can be vaccinated without additional precautions but should contact their health care provider if they develop swelling afterward.
Health systems will receive reimbursement from insurance plans and the federal government with no cost to patients.
Yes, the CDC has updated their guidance to state that health workers may administer another needed vaccine at the same time as the COVID vaccine. This applies to patients of any age.
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The CDC has published information on What to Expect after Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine and posts updates as more information becomes available.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends COVID-19 boosters after the primary series for those 12 and older who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for their initial series six or more months ago or who received Johnson & Johnson two or more months ago. Recently, the FDA and CDC approved bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for boosters for ages 5 and older, and the monovalent vaccines were no longer authorized under emergency use authorization for use as boosters in these age groups. A single booster dose with an updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is designed to provide broad protection against COVID-19 and better protection against COVID-19 caused by the currently circulating Omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5. Those who received the monovalent booster recently should wait at least eight weeks before receiving the bivalent booster.
Appointments should be scheduled through MyChart or by calling (208) 381-9500.
While you may prefer to receive the same brand COVID-19 vaccine for your primary series and booster, federal agencies have approved a “mix-and-match” approach with vaccination products where necessary or sought by patients. We can accommodate this CDC guideline at our clinics and vaccination sites.
When you receive a vaccination in one of our clinics, you will have the option to be monitored for about 15 minutes and medical staff will use safety precautions and respond immediately if you have an initial reaction. If you have a delayed reaction, please contact your primary care provider or call 911.
Yes. Experts need to know more about the protection provided by the vaccine, like how long it lasts, before changes are made to public prevention recommendations. To stop the pandemic, everyone should keep wearing masks, washing hands often and social distancing.
Masks are still required at all St. Luke's facilities, regardless of vaccination status.
It is most safe to visit those who are also vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccines are not 100% effective and some, such as those who are unable to be vaccinated (e.g., young children) and some immunocompromised people who may not have developed robust antibodies to the vaccine, may be less protected and/or not protected.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine will affect when or if you are eligible to donate blood. View Red Cross guidelines