The Ocean County Health Department began administering booster vaccines of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson this week at the same time health advisors from the Food and Drug Administration opened the path for kids ages 5-11 to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

A clinic will open today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Point Pleasant firehouse. It’s one of the neighborhood clinics the health department set up in towns across the county, bringing vaccine doses closer to local residents for anyone who wants it. 

The booster shots are now available at all of the health department's vaccination sites.

FDA health experts cleared the beginning stages for the use of the Pfizer vaccine for kids who are currently not eligible. They determined the benefits outweigh any risks which come with the Pfizer brand of vaccine. One of the risks is a rare condition known as myocarditis, a heart inflammation.

It’s just one step in the path before children are eligible. The FDA must formally recommend the vaccine, which then would be approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That could happen in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the CDC released new guidelines Tuesday, which say immunocompromised people who have received either Pfizer or Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines will be able to get a fourth shot at least six months after their third shot.