The fourth vaccination shot for COVID-19 is coming to county health departments in Mississippi, but the question is when.

A Lincoln County Health Department employee said Wednesday they were waiting for paperwork and approval from the state health department before they could start administering the fourth shots.

There also seems to be some confusion over what the “fourth shot” is.

Information on Mississippi State Department of Health’s website, msdh.ms.gov, states, “Second booster doses will become available through county health departments soon. First boosters and third doses for the immunocompromised can be scheduled now.”

First booster doses are given after a person has had two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (and therefore called the “third dose”), or one of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. After the minimum waiting period — five months for Pfizer or Moderna, two months for J&J — a first booster can be given.

A second booster — what many are referring to as the “fourth shot” — can be given to individuals who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and meet certain requirements. It must have been at least four months since the first booster, and you must be at least 50 years old, unless you have a weakened immune system.

People with weakened immune systems who are at least 12 years old are eligible for a second Pfizer booster. Those who are at least 18 are eligible for a second Moderna booster.

MSDH will publicize the availability of fourth shots (second boosters) when they become available.

Vaccines and boosters can be scheduled at local health departments at https://covidvaccine.umc.edu/ or by calling 877-978-6453.