A new health directive will go into effect Thursday, Sept. 30, that does not add any new restrictions, but does update who is able to get COVID-19 booster vaccines.

More than two dozen health directives have been issued by the Shelby County Health Department since the pandemic began.

Health Directive No. 26 states the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster is available across the county for a narrow population of people 65 and older, residents in long-term care settings or people as young as 50 who have underlying health conditions. People as young as 18 with such conditions may get the booster, based on individual risk and benefits.

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Also, people as young as 18 may get the booster if they work in high-risk settings for contracting COVID, including health care settings.

Based on the U.S. District Court’s ruling on Sept. 17 regarding the mandatory use of masks in K-12 schools here, the Health Department is working with schools on enforcing its mask mandate. That includes visiting schools, offering technical assistance and referring compliance issues to the state Department of Education, the state Health Department and the court where the decision was made.

Employers with at least 100 employees will soon be responsible for a new temporary standard from OSHA that will make it their responsibility that employees are vaccinated or tested once a week. It is up to employers to have a plan for how this will be done.

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Last week, Pfizer-BioNTech announced it had preliminary data on the safety of its vaccine for children ages 5-11. It intends to submit the data to the FDA for approval.

The new health directive contains recommendations and requirements on vaccination, testing and masking, including that it is imperative that people stay home if they have COVID symptoms and to be tested.

In Shelby County, masks are required in public, indoor settings. They are encouraged whenever people will be in close contact with people whose vaccination status is not known.

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The new order will expire Oct. 31 unless it is amended. The Health Department notes the order would be amended if the vaccination rate hits 70% or if there are significant changes in hospital capacity or the number of cases per 100,000.

Shelby County is still considered an area with a high rate of community transmission, largely because the vaccination rate remains well below 50%.