KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Booster shots for many high-risk Americans can officially be given to help curb the deadly impacts from COVID-19, but details on when that will happen are still fuzzy, especially for Floridians who are most at risk for getting the virus — including those living in care facilities or nursing homes.

On Friday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky approved recommendations for a third dose of Pfizer vaccine to be given to people six months after their second dose, but not everyone is eligible for the booster.

The CDC’s recommendation approves booster shots, or a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine, for adults 65 years old and up, as well as residents of long-term care facilities and adults 50 to 64 years old with underlying health conditions.

The Florida Health Care Association, which represents care facilities across the Sunshine State, explains they don’t know of any plans yet to get booster shots to large numbers of facility residents but says they’re having ongoing conversations about it.  

Kurt Hanley-Woodbridge, who lives in a nursing home in Central Florida, said he wants to get his booster shot quickly because he’s scared of getting sick. He's even warning off visitors to protect himself.

"My mother, she brings me food every Wednesday and Saturday, but I told her, no, she can’t come inside,” Hanley-Woodbridge said. “I don’t want her inside. I don’t want to catch this virus. So I really, I really want to get this booster.”

He said he’s hopeful booster shots roll out quickly, much like they did months earlier with the first doses. 

“I think they should do what they did when they gave us our first set of vaccines,” Hanley-Woodbridge said. “They automatically gave it to us, no questions asked. You know, they gave the nurses and the CNAs the vaccine first, and two days later, they gave the residents vaccines. And it should be the same thing with the booster.” 

Community providers are likely to roll out booster shots much like they did with the first round of vaccine doses back in December and January to protect residents quickly, the Florida Life Care Residents Association. Senior communities in Florida, the organization said, could get booster shot clinics going as early as the first week of October.

​Also included in the CDC director’s booster recommendation is approval for a third dose of Pfizer for those 18 years old and up who are at-risk for getting seriously sick from the virus, as well as those who work in a job that would put them at higher risk for getting COVID-19.

Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows deaths from coronavirus in nursing homes across Florida appears to have peaked about a month ago with 83 nursing home deaths in one week. But data from earlier this month still shows dozens of nursing home deaths continue to happen every week due to COVID-19.