Mayo Clinic experts talk Pfizer booster shot

(ABC 6 News) – Mayo Clinic experts weighed in on the importance of those who are eligible to get their third dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Under the current federal government program that supplies vaccine doses, Mayo Clinic is obligated to follow the CDC recommendations related to vaccine administration.

"There are front line healthcare providers who have been battling this fire for 19 months straight non stop, who are at risk this recommendation allows, it’s not a should, its may," said Dr. Gregory Poland, Director, Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group.

Experts also talked about the possibility of other viruses and future pandemics

"We’ve already seen evidence of it, we already have cases of influenza in Minnesota for example, we’ve already seen evidence of an RSV epidemic, the pandemic right now at least not going anywhere it is going to find susceptibles who are unvaccinated or whos immunity wanes with time," Dr. Gregory Poland, Director, Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group said.

Mayo Clinic plans to offer booster vaccines to eligible patients and staff starting Friday, Sept. 24. Patients who are 65 and older will be contacted through Patient Online Services and by letter.

There is no guidance at this time for those who received Moderna or the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines as their primary vaccination.