Joplin Health Department to offer COVID booster shots beginning next week

The City of Joplin Health Department will offer an opportunity for certain immunocompromised individuals to receive a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine as early as next week. Read the full press release below:

Following recent announcements from the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services recently announced vaccine availability in Missouri.

This third-dose clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 26 at the Joplin Health Department, 321 East 4^th Street. Please call 417-623-6122 to schedule an appointment for this clinic. Other clinic dates will be announced in the near future.

This clinic is open to only those individuals who are to moderately to severely immunocompromised people due to a medical condition or combination of immunosuppressive medication or treatments including but not limited to the following:

• Immunocompromised due to solid organ transplant and taking immune-suppressing medications
• Immunocompromised due to active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Immune compromised due to Receipt of CAR-T cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
• Moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich Syndromes)
• Immunocompromised due to Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Immunocompromised due to “Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response: high dose corticosteroids (ie.,≥ 20 mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blocker or other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory”

Individuals who do not meet the criteria for “moderately to severely immunocompromised” do not need a third dose at this time.

In line with federal guidelines, the City of Joplin will use a self-attestation model for people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. Individuals receiving this third dose must attest to having an immunocompromised condition. They must have had two previous doses of vaccine, with the last one being at least 28 days from the date of this clinic. They should bring their COVID vaccination card and a photo identification card.

For questions about this third-dose clinic, please contact the Joplin Health Department at 417-623-6122.