News Flash

For Immediate Release

11/17/2021    

COVID-19 Information

Phone: 980-432-1800
Website: www.rowancountync.gov/COVID-19
Email: covid-19@rowancountync.gov

Vaccine Information

Website: www.rowancountync.gov/COVIDvaccine
Follow Us: www.facebook.com/rowancountyhealth 

Rowan County COVID-19 Case Information: https://bit.ly/rowan-covid19-hub

With the Holidays Around the Corner, Don’t Forget to Protect You and Your Family from COVID

With our COVID cases slowly on the rise once again and with the holidays just around the corner, we cannot emphasize to you enough about the importance of getting a COVID vaccine and/or a COVID booster, if you are eligible. In the last 14 days, we have seen 361 positive COVID cases here locally, along with an increase in the number of hospitalizations.

For those in your family 5 to 11 years of age, they now can receive the Pfizer vaccine. Each dose is only one-third the amount given to people 12 and older. The following businesses and agencies are offering this lower dose of the Pfizer COVID -19 vaccine at this time:

• StarMed (outside Rowan County Public Health in side parking lot) - Appointments are preferred and can be made at starmed.care. 
• Rowan County Public Health- Please call 704-216-8777; Option 3 to make an appointment
• Salisbury Pediatric – Please call 704-636-5576 for more information and to make an appointment
• Novant Health COVID-19 Pediatric Vaccine Clinic – Appointments are available Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 am to 5 pm at the J.F. Hurley YMCA; please sign up by visiting getvaccinated.org and make an appointment in MyChart
• Moose Pharmacy -Appointments and walk-ins are now welcome; please call 704-636-6340 for more information

The Pfizer and the Moderna COVID-19 booster shots are also now available and are recommended for individuals who received their second dose at least six months ago and who are at high risk for severe illness or exposure based on their age, profession, living setting or health conditions. This includes people who are:

• 65 years or older, and
• 18 years or older who: 
  • live or work in a nursing home or long-term care facility;  
  • have underlying medical conditions; 
  • work in high-risk settings like healthcare workers, teachers and childcare providers or food workers; or,
  • live or work in a place where many people live together (for example, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, migrant farm housing, dormitories or other group living settings in colleges or universities).

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster shot is recommended for individuals ages 18 and older who were vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

Additionally, individuals can now mix and match your booster vaccine if you choose to do so.  Recent evidence does suggest that both the Moderna and the Pfizer boosters do raise one’s antibody levels more than the Johnson & Johnson booster vaccine. With that being known, we do highly encourage you to speak with your primary care provider or your pharmacist if you should have questions about which booster may be right for you and/or your family members. 

If and when you go for your booster vaccine, please note that a doctor's note is not needed. Individuals who want to receive a booster shot will simply need to know the dates of any past COVID-19 vaccinations and perhaps the type of vaccine they originally received. Please note, however, that the brand of vaccine is only needed if an individual should choose to stay with their original vaccine type. Paper vaccination cards are very helpful and should be brought with you, if at all possible. 

Here locally, the COVID-19 booster shots are now available at the following locations:

• Novant Health Clinic at the J.F. Hurley YMCA - 8 am to 5 pm Wed. and Friday; Appointments are strongly encouraged and please bring your vaccine card
• Novant Health’s Primary Care Clinics - Call your primary physician for more information
• Rowan County Public Health—Please call 704-216-8777; Option 3 to make an appointment 
• Local Pharmacies - Walmart; Walgreens; CVS; Moose Pharmacy; Medicine Shoppe, Cannon Pharmacy
• Local Grocery Stores - Food Lion

When scheduling your booster shot, please realize that you do not have to go back to the same place you received your initial dose(s). Any of the agencies or businesses listed above can assist you.  For more information on how to schedule an appointment and what types of vaccines are currently available, please visit any of the listed agencies/businesses’ websites or call them directly.

In the meantime, as you wait for an appointment for yourself and/or loved one, we all need to start being more diligent about washing our hands more frequently, wearing our masks out in public, as well as distancing ourselves from those outside our immediate family, especially as more people venture out to start Christmas shopping. More importantly if you feel sick, you should get tested at one of the following sites and follow the recommended guidelines to keep those around you safe and healthy. 

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PIO Contact:
Amy Smith
704-216-8859
amy.smith@rowancountync.gov

Download Media Release COVID-19 - November 17, 2021 (PDF)