Green Country VA Clinics Begin Offering COVID-19 Booster Shots To Eligible Veterans

Hundreds of Green Country veterans are getting their COVID-19 booster shots this week. 

At the new Earnest Childers VA Health Care Center, veterans arrive for all sorts of appointments. 

Kirk Thompson figured he might as well get his booster shot while he's here.  

"I was here for a standard finger splint and saw the booster was available and jumped right in there,” Thompson said.  

Thompson is a Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War.  

"I was on an aircraft carrier, the famous USS Forrestal,” he said.  

Thompson said getting his booster was a "no brainer." 

"Well, the bottom line is you try to get the protection that you need and it was obvious to me that that's something I needed,” Thompson said.  

For Air Force Veteran Norman Hutton, coming in for a booster shot was a priority after his fight with COVID last year.  

Hutton said he was in the hospital with COVID last year for 17 days, including three days on a ventilator.  

“I had gotten the vaccination after I got out of the hospital. I don't want to go through that again,” Hutton said. “It's wicked."  

The VA clinics in Green Country are offering the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to those who qualify.  

Nurse Manager Robert Gaygay said the clinic be giving the shots as long as needed.  

"We are going to continue giving this until we vaccinate our last veteran available,” Gaygay said.  

The VA is also offering the shot to veterans' caregivers, and their spouses.  

Navy Veteran Jim Byrd and his wife Carolyn walked into their exam room together, got their shots within seconds of each other, then they went on their way, feeling a little more protected than before.  

The clinics in Tulsa, Muskogee, McAlester and Vinita are accepting walk-ins Monday-Friday.  

The V-A is also encouraging veterans to get their flu shots, too. 

The following information is from the VA Center:  

For those who completed a Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at least 6 months after their second dose: 

1. 65 years and older 
2. Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings. 
3. Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions. 
4. Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings. 

For those who had a J&J COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated at least 2 months ago.