Pages - PHOTO RELEASE: Maryland Department of Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader gets COVID-19 bivalent booster and flu shot

September 13, 2022

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Chase Cook, Acting Director of Communications, 410-767-8649

PHOTO RELEASE: Maryland Department of Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader gets COVID-19 bivalent booster and flu shot

Marylanders 12+ are urged to join him and receive the new bivalent booster and flu shot during the same visit for added protection against illness this fall

Baltimore, MD—The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) Secretary Dennis R. Schrader joined thousands of Marylanders in getting COVIDReady by boosting his protection against COVID-19 with a new bivalent booster shot. He also received his annual flu shot at the same time - a convenient way to stay protected from both influenza and COVID.

Secretary Schrader received his COVID-19 bivalent booster and a flu shot from Yaritza Velez at CVS Pharmacy in Laurel.

These new COVID bivalent booster shots, which have been reformulated to provide added protection against COVID’s omicron variants for Marylanders 12+, are now available at more than 850 pharmacies, clinics, and local health departments statewide. Maryland's updated “Are You Up-To-Date?” portal allows you to check your vaccination status within seconds.

“These COVID bivalent boosters are an important and timely new tool in our COVIDReady toolkit and I was pleased to receive one,” said Secretary Schrader. “With colder weather and holidays right around the corner, boosting your protection against COVID is the best way to keep yourself, family, and friends protected. While you are there, roll up your other sleeve for a flu shot. It’s a convenient way to stay healthy in the fall and winter months.”

The bivalent boosters, produced by Pfizer-BioNTech (for age 12+) and Moderna (for age 18+), are now available as a booster dose for people who have completed their primary COVID vaccine series or previous boosters, as long as it has been at least two months since the previous shot. They are “bivalent” because they contain “tools” (spike proteins of the virus) to target the original COVID-19 virus as well as its omicron variants.

To find a booster location near you and schedule a COVID -19 vaccination appointment, visit covidVAX.maryland.gov or call the GoVAX Call Center at 1-855-MD-GOVAX.

For more information about COVID-19, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.

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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.