Both Moderna and Pfizer are offering the new omicron booster. However, they do have different age restrictions. Moderna is only available to those 18 and older, while Pfizer can be given to those who are 12 and older. Doctors say the side effects are similar to what a person would experience with the original vaccine. For example, soreness at the site of the injection, fatigue, headache, and chills.

With a new variant of COVID-19 starting to infect more and more people every day, booster shots of the vaccination has been a topic of discussion with health experts. 

The incentives to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot are still rolling out, but this time with the opportunity to earn $100. Ohioans that get at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine between now and September 15th could receive a $100 Visa gift card in an initiative called "Vax on the Spot". Requirements include being a Medicaid or MyCare member, and age 18 or older. Pharmacies and community organizations are partnering with the program to provide vaccine clinics. There will be one at Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Lima on Wednesday. The Chief Medical Officer for Paramount Health Care, Dr. Dee Ann Bialecki-Haase, says low vaccination rates in Ohio Medicaid members compared to the general population prompted this idea.

The CDC says that since April 2021, there have been more than a thousand reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in the United States of cases of inflammation of the heart, called myocarditis and pericarditis. The reported cases occur after receiving a mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination (such as Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna).

They say 25% of the county population has been fully vaccinated and 31% have started with their vaccination waiting on the second shot. Health officials understand that some people may still be hesitant to get vaccinated but with new cases increasing they can’t stress the importance of getting the shot.

Ohio has been seeing a continuous rise in COVID-19 cases over recent weeks, but within younger age ranges. Earlier during the pandemic, those 60 years and older accounted for the most COVID cases in Ohio. Now, those 40 years and younger make up most new illnesses. The Allen County Health Commissioner, Kathy Luhn, says this could be caused by the virus' variants, and more relaxed contact among family and friend groups. Higher vaccination rates in the 60+ age range could also account for these changes. From December to April alone, cases in the group are said to have dropped 90%.

In an interview with Your News Now, Dr. Martin explained that side effects from the second shot of the vaccine, also called the booster shot, is expected to come with some side effects in a small percentage of people.

With unfamiliar variants of the COVID-19 virus making their rounds, some wonder if the vaccine being rolled out will be effective enough. New strains of the Coronavirus have been detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil in recent weeks, raising concern. However, current COVID vaccine development may be able to keep up with the latest mutations.

According to the Ohio Department of Health vaccine dashboard, Allen County has seen just over 3-thousand of the Moderna vaccines started. Those being distributed through Allen County Public Health, hospitals, and other vaccine providers. The state set the guidelines of who is eligible in phase 1-A and Phase 1-B and health officials say it’s still a story of supply and demand on how clinics can be handled.

Still working with the first shipment of the Moderna Vaccine, Allen County has begun to vaccinate those who want it and work as EMS responders.

"The biggest thing is we want to make sure that the vaccine is available to everyone who chooses to receive it," said Brandon Fischer, emergency planner for Allen County Public Health. "We’re seeing very rare instances of people having some allergic reactions, but most of the time people are having just general reactions that they get with any other vaccine."