Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations sit on a tray in July ready to be administered during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Downtown Bend Public Library.

New COVID-19 boosters that target the most common omicron strains have arrived in Oregon, and eligible people are now able to schedule appointments to receive shots.

The Western states workgroup on Friday approved the new “bivalent” COVID-19 boosters for people 12 and older after federal officials approved the vaccines the day before.

Using the same technology as the original vaccines, the bivalent vaccines are designed to protect against both the original virus and the recent omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, which are both currently dominant in Oregon.

The new vaccines are the first update to the original COVID-19 vaccines, which were first made available in late 2020.

Health officials say the original vaccines still offer protection against severe illness and death, especially in younger and healthier people who have had at least one booster. But the effectiveness of the original vaccines has waned as new COVID-19 variants have emerged and as more time passes since people’s last dose.

The updated vaccines can only be used as a booster, not as someone’s first-ever COVID-19 vaccination.

They are a single dose that can be administered at least two months after someone’s initial vaccine series, first booster or infection with COVID-19. They can be administered regardless of which vaccines people originally received. The Moderna bivalent booster is available for adults, and the Pfizer-BioNTech is available for people 12 and older.

“With fall and winter approaching with circulation of COVID-19 anticipated to increase, when most of us will spend more time indoors, the availability of safe and effective vaccine boosters offers us strong protection against the worst outcomes of COVID-19, including severe illness, hospitalizations and death,” Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state epidemiologist with the Oregon Health Authority, said on Thursday.

The state pre-ordered 77,000 doses of the updated boosters, some of which have arrived, and additional shipments are expected in the coming days and weeks. OHA officials expect the state’s supply of the vaccines to meet demand.

Some vaccination clinics will begin administering the updated boosters starting Wednesday, according to the OHA.

Some pharmacies such as Walgreens are already making appointments for the updated boosters available.

OHA officials are planning to open three high-volume vaccination sites across the state to administer the vaccine.

The health authority is planning to open a large scale clinic at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center starting Thursday, said Emily Horton, Deschutes County Health Services COVID-19 response and recovery program manager.

The county health services department will have the new boosters available at its walk-in clinics starting Monday.

The schedule of clinic times is available at: www.deschutes.org/health/page/covid-19-vaccine.

“As soon as we have vaccine ready for administration we will post that information on our website,” Horton said. “At this point the limiting factor is delivery of vaccine, which we expect this week.”

Pharmacies should also have the vaccine but availability will be based on supply and staffing and may vary by location.

People also can use the OHA’s Get Vaccinated Oregon tool to find vaccine appointments.

For updates on vaccination sites and to schedule appointments, visit the OHA’s COVID-19 blog.