SAN ANTONIO — This week, the FDA will discuss if boosters will be needed for two COVID-19 vaccines.
In Bexar County, leaders say thousands have already received a booster of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
The county says it will be ready if it needs to adjust to offering boosters for others who are vaccinated.
A pop-up clinic held at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church's sports complex is where longtime member Melvin Hutchens got his booster shot.
"I felt fine after that, felt soreness in my arm but didn't have any real side effects other than the soreness," Hutchens said.
He got the booster shot two weeks ago and is back at the church volunteering to help others get their COVID-19 vaccine.
The CDC says right now, people eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot include people ages 65 and up, ages 18 and up who have underlying medical conditions, ages 18 and up who work and/or live in high-risk settings or in a long-term care setting.
Booster shots are different than a third dose of the vaccine, but combined, more than 77,000 shots have been given to Bexar County residents according to Metro Health.
"As far as the administration of boosters, it's going very well. The group that we still really want to focus the majority of our efforts on is still those that are completely unvaccinated," Miguel Cervantes, public health administrator with Metro Health tells KENS 5.
“The case numbers are dropping, so with the holiday season’s coming up, it’s very important that everyone who hasn’t received any immunization to go out and get it,” Cervantes said.
Cervantes says they will see what the FDA says this week about a booster for Moderna and Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines.
“We’re definitely keeping an eye on what’s going on so that we are able to appropriately prepare and provide the services here in Bexar County as needed,” Cervantes adds.
Hutchens says speaking with his pastor and doctor helped guide him in his decision.
“It’ll save you from being in the hospital, and if by some chance you get it, it’ll lessen the degree of your sickness”
Whether it’s the third shot or first shot, he feels its one worth getting.
You can find a list of COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinics in San Antonio on the Metro Health website.