COVID Vaccine

September 10, 2025
Dear McGregor Clinic Patient,

As Fall approaches, COVID-19 vaccination guidelines for the 2025-2026 season have been released, and I want to explain the vaccine information and recommendations, so that you have a healthy 2025-2026 season.

On August 27, 2025, the FDA withdrew the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the 2024-2025 formulation of the COVID-19 vaccine, requiring all supplies be destroyed. This is true ONLY for the 2024-2025 formulation (last year’s formulation) and does not affect the 2025-2026 formulation currently available at local pharmacies.

This year’s formulation (2025-2026) was approved by the FDA on August 27, 2025, and included Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax 2025-2026 formulations of the COVID-19 vaccine:

SPIKEVAX (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) by Moderna Tx, Inc
MNEXSPIKE (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) by Moderna TX, Inc.
NUVAXOVID (COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted) by Novavax, Inc
COMIRNATY (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) by BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH/Pfizer

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) current COVID-19 guidelines include vaccination recommendations for patients treated by the McGregor Clinic:

ADULTS WITH UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS

The CDC recommends vaccination with the 2025-2026 formulation of the COVID-19 vaccine for adults with underlying health conditions that place them at higher risk for complications due to a COVID-19 infection. These conditions include:

Any type of disability that makes it more difficult to do certain activities or interact with the world around them, including people who need help with self-care or daily activities
Asthma requiring daily medication
Cancer (any time)
Chronic kidney disease with eGFR less than 59 ml/in/1.73m2
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis
Dementia
Diabetes including both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
Heart diseases including heart failure, coronary artery disease, and cardiomyopathies
Infection with HIV
Intellectual, developmental, or learning disabilities
Liver diseases including alcohol-related and non-alcohol fatty liver diseases and liver cirrhosis (scaring of the liver)
Obesity (BMI is greater than 30)
- https://www.cdc.gov/bmi/adult-calculator/index.html
Parkinson’s Disease
Smoking including current and former use
Stroke (recent or historic)
Substance use including cocaine use

The conditions on this list are in alphabetical order and are not in order of risk. Also, this list does not include all medical conditions that place a person at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. If you are concerned about how a COVID-19 infection may affect your health, I recommend that you discuss how to protect yourself from a COVID-19 infection with your medical team.

SENIORS AGE 65 AND OLDER

The CDC recommends vaccination with the 2025-2026 formulation of the COVID-19 vaccine for all seniors age 65 and older. This recommendation is crucial because over 81% of COVID-19 fatalities have occurred in individuals over 65 years old. In fact, seniors are 97 times more likely to experience severe outcomes from COVID-19 than younger adults aged 18-29.

Again, if you are 65 or older, or have a medical condition listed above, both I and the CDC recommend that you receive the 2025-2026 COIVD-19 vaccine. You’ll find these vaccines at local pharmacies, but supplies can be limited, so it’s a good idea to reach out to your preferred pharmacy or visit https://www.vaxassist.com to make an appointment. Additionally, some pharmacies are requiring a prescription to administer the vaccine, simply contact our office and we can provide you with a prescription.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your medical team.

Yours in health,

Dr. John-Paul Bettencourt

25 Years Serving Our Communities

The McGregor Clinic

• Office: (239) 334-9555
• Fax number: 239-334-2832
• Address: 3487 Broadway Fort Myers, FL 33901
Service Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 8:30am-5:00pm
Friday: 8:30am-12:00pm

Call (239) 334-9555

Prevention & Community Services Clinic

• Office: (239) 208-8035
• Fax number: 239-334-2832
• Address: 2070 Carrell Rd, Suite B Fort Myers, FL 33901
• Service Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 8:30 am -12:00pm and 1:00pm-4:30pm
Friday: 9:00am-11:30am