Longwood veteran sees COVID boosters as important tools

LONGWOOD, Fla .– Vaccine advocates say Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and White House approval of booster injections is a big step towards ending the pandemic in the United States

Vietnamese fighter pilot Stan Goldstein, who lives in the Village on the Green in Longwood, is one such advocate.

He flew extremely dangerous missions during the Vietnam War, and it was during this time that he learned how important it is to be protected.

This is one of the reasons he was so excited when he heard about the news of the booster shots on his smartwatch on Friday.

“I was pretty happy because I think we have to do it,” Goldstein said. “It’s like I might have told you before, it’s the old parachute thing.”

And now it’s a parachute that now even more people can use.

The CDC and the White House on Friday approved a third booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for Americans 65 and older and for those with underlying health conditions that may put them at risk higher.

Goldstein has already received his recall, something he calls an everyday parachute in the event of a pandemic.

“When you have it, it gives you a little more sense of security, hey you can step out into this world and hopefully avoid having it,” he said.

Goldstein now lives a quiet life in Village on the Green, but since his wartime he has said everyone is in the war against COVID-19 together, and hopes everyone benefits from all the weapons and protections they can. .

“Another bullet in your gun,” he said. “You have more ammo to fight anything that can face you, and you may as well have all the protection you can.”

Spectrum News 13 has checked with local health officials and they said they will rely heavily on pharmacies like CVS as they develop their own plans to roll out booster shots.