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The rush could soon be on again for coronavirus vaccines when booster shots become available starting in mid-September. And those who are still on the fence about getting vaccinated at all should get out ahead of it, Chicago’s top health official urged Thursday.

Earlier this year, many people hunted for doses and awaited their eligibility, anxious to get inoculated after many months of COVID-19 restrictions.

Public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Thursday there is no longer a shortage of supply like there was in the first months of the city’s vaccine rollout. Still, not everyone due for that third shot will get it immediately, she said.

“There are going to be a lot of people probably rushing to want to get a booster again, similar to how it was at the beginning,” Arwady said during an online question-and-answer session. “So please take this next month, if you’re not vaccinated, to get it, because I don’t want people in this whole scramble.”

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that a booster shot for those who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines is needed at least eight months after the second dose, citing evidence of waning efficacy amid the surge of the more contagious delta variant. The agency’s statement added that all the vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe outcomes like hospitalization or death.

The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must sign off on the findings and, after that, the booster shots for people who are not immunocompromised will likely be available starting the week of Sept. 20.

Those who do have immune deficiencies have already begun getting third shots of Pfizer or Moderna following updated federal guidance last week. That new dose is supposed to be given at least four weeks after the second dose.

Data surrounding a Johnson & Johnson booster shot is less complete, but the HHS statement Wednesday said additional doses will “likely be needed.”

When the federal go-ahead is given for third Pfizer and Moderna shots, Arwady said the city’s rollout will likely have the same order it did the first few months following December’s emergency use authorization of Pfizer: The most vulnerable residents, such as those in nursing homes, will be prioritized, along with health care workers and older adults.

All three coronavirus vaccines used in the U.S. are under emergency approval only, but that could change in weeks for Pfizer. Arwady noted that those who are waiting for full FDA authorization of the vaccines should act quickly when that time comes because the city will soon face a tide of already vaccinated people seeking booster shots.

Arwady also said immunocompromised people should first seek a doctor’s advice before getting a third Pfizer or Moderna shot. They include cancer patients, organ or stem cell transplant recipients, people with HIV or primary immunodeficiency, or people taking a drug that suppresses immune response. A health care provider must sign off because there are implications with the timing of the third dose when medications are involved.

Vaccine doses, including third shots for the immunocompromised, continue to be available through pharmacies, doctors’ offices, community events and the city’s home visitation program. Residents can call 312-746-4835 to look for appointments.

Ultimately, with many residents still without a first dose, Arwady said the primary focus remains getting that population vaccinated. About 60% of Chicago residents have had at least a first dose as of Wednesday, although children under 12 are not eligible yet.

“I want to be extremely clear: The most important thing from the perspective of the Chicago Department of Public Health … is that people who are not yet vaccinated get that first and or second dose,” Arwady said.

The rate of vaccinations given in the city has stagnated at about 4,000 per day since early July. At its peak in April, more than 30,000 shots were being administered daily.

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