Protect yourself, your family, and your community.

Vaccines will help bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end. 

Available data right now show that all three of the COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant. Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and reduce the spread of the virus and help prevent new variants from emerging.

Everyone 5 years of age and older is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Please get vaccinated when you can.  Majol  |  Español

CDC Approves Pfizer Vaccinations for Children Age 5-11

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously on Nov. 2 to recommend the use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5–11.  This follows the decision by the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) to authorize emergency use of the vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 to include children in this age group.

The Dubuque County Public Health Incident Management Team has been working with local vaccine providers in preparation for this announcement and vaccinations are under way.

• Local pediatricians and healthcare providers are sharing details on their vaccination plans on their websites and social media channels.
• Local pharmacies are offering vaccinations for children in this age group. 
• The Dubuque Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) is offering these vaccines at its walk-in clinics. See clinic details below.
• Please note that children MUST be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive these vaccinations.

Booster Guidance for All Three Vaccines

As of Nov. 19, 2021, everyone 18 years and older is eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot. According to the latest CDC guidance, some groups should get a booster, and some groups may get a booster based on assessment of their individual risks and benefits. CDC recommendations on booster doses are based on the latest data with the goal of ensuring that people have optimal protection against COVID-19 infection, severe illness, and death.

People who should get a booster:

• All Johnson & Johnson recipients age 18 and older, at least 2 months after initial shot
• All Moderna and Pfizer recipients age 50 and older, at least 6 months after second shot
• All residents age 18 and older in long-term care settings

People who may get a booster:

• All adults age 18 and older, at least 6 months after completing their primary series of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The CDC’s clinical guidance advises people to get the same booster as their initial vaccine, but allows people to mix and match (i.e. get a different COVID-19 booster than their initial vaccine) depending on availability or if they choose to.

The vaccines work. The COVID-19 vaccines continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, including against the delta variant. CDC data show that in August 2021, the risk of dying from COVID-19 in the U.S. was more than 11 times greater for unvaccinated people than for fully vaccinated people. However, scientists are starting to see reduced protection against mild and moderate disease, especially among certain populations. This waning of the efficacy of the vaccine is the reason for the new guidance on booster doses.