Eligible people include those 65 and older, and 18 and older with underlying health conditions, and health care workers and others at high risk because of exposure
University Health will make Pfizer booster shots available beginning at 10 a.m. Friday morning, Sept. 24, on the upper level of the Wonderland of the Americas mall, 4522 Fredericksburg Rd., following recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Please enter from the upper level exterior entrance on the west (Fredericksburg Road) side of the mall, as the mall escalators are currently not functioning.
Those eligible for this shot include people 65 and older and individuals 18 and older who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 infection because of underlying health conditions or occupational or institutional exposure, such as health care workers. People in those groups become eligible six months after their second Pfizer vaccination. Please bring documentation of your previous Pfizer vaccinations. Anyone who received a vaccination through University Health can access their vaccine record through their MyChart account. If they have the MyChart app, their vaccine verification will by easy to access anytime on their mobile phone. For more information, visit our COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs.
Hours of operation at Wonderland on Friday will be 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Hours of operation for next week will be posted on our website Friday afternoon. We’re taking walk-ins, and registration is not necessary at this time. That could change, so please check the website for further updates.
It is important to understand that there is plenty of time to get a booster shot, as the recommendation is that people get boosters no sooner than six months after their second shot. Getting the booster later than that is fine, and might be a better choice in the event that the vaccine sites are crowded at first. The Pfizer booster shots are widely available and we will continue to offer them as long as there continues to be demand.
The Pfizer booster shots are also now available at all University Health sites currently providing COVID-19 vaccinations.
You can still get your flu shot
Only COVID-19 vaccines will be administered at Wonderland, but people are still encouraged to seek out flu shots. It is not necessary to put any time between the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, said Dr. Bryan Alsip, University Health chief medical officer. University Health will be partnering with Bexar County to offer free flu shots at three more events, including one Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon at Southwest Athletic Complex, 11914 Dragon Lane, hosted by Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores. Registration for the flu shot drives is required and people can register online at www.universityhealthsystem.com/flu
The difference between “boosters” and “third doses”
University Health has been providing third shots of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for persons who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. According to the CDC, this group includes some people receiving cancer treatments, organ and stem cell transplant recipients, persons with severe immunodeficiency or untreated HIV infection, or those taking medications that may suppress their immune system. These people may not have had a strong immune response to the vaccine, so the CDC recommends a third dose in the series, as opposed to the two-dose series for others. The CDC recommends immunocompromised persons receive their 3rd dose shot no sooner than four weeks after their 2nd dose. Boosters are shots in addition to the initial shot or series for people with a normal immune response to the vaccine, and may be recommended months or even years after the initial series.
