LAKE MARY, Fla. — Leaders at the White House and experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently addressed the issue of people who are currently ineligible for a booster shot getting one anyway. 

Right now only those who’ve had Pfizer shots previously and are either 65 or older, at high risk for complications from COVID-19, or live or work in high risk settings, can get a third dose of the vaccine. 

While the CDC reports less than a third of people received a booster shot have reported any side effects, the CDC's director said getting a booster shot even if you're ineligible hurts the government's ability to track the safety of the shots.

"The one thing I want to highlight in the context of this is that it does undermine our ability to monitor safety in these contexts," said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. "So, we are asking people to follow our guidance, to follow what (the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) will say and the FDA will say in the coming day — several days, and to follow recommendations so we can we can follow safety signals here as well."

That's also why it's important for pharmacies to verify patients' eligibility.  

Lake Mary pharmacist Andy Kimmel says having a personal connection with his patients helps him do this. He owns Greenwood Pharmacy, where they keep busy enough filling prescriptions, but now they’re also making appointments for third-dose Pfizer booster shots.

“Yes, the issue is a lot of them have not had the Pfizer and they want a booster shot, which we cannot do yet," he said. "The CDC hasn’t said anything yet, so we’re waiting on that."

Which is another reason he says it’s so important to verify who’s eligible for a booster.

It's something that can be easier to do at a "ma-and-pa" shop like Greenwood, where Kimmel knows his patients and their medical needs well. 

“I know most of my patients, what is wrong with them, so if they’re cancer patients or something that they are immunocompromised, then yes I will do it,” he said. 

And even when someone Kimmel doesn’t recognize comes in for a shot, he makes doubly sure that they’re eligible. 

“I will check them in the state system, and that’s how I know what vaccine they’ve had," he said. "If it’s somebody who doesn’t, then I’ll just call his or her doctor just to make sure it’s OK with the doctor."

Kimmel said some people will even bring in notes signed by their doctor describing how they're high risk for COVID-19 complications. 

Just as he makes sure people get the right amount of the right medication, Kimmel also makes sure his customers get the right protection during the pandemic. 

Right now only the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is approved for a booster shot, though it is believed by the CDC that booster shots will be eventually needed for people who got the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots. 

The CDC says more than 22,000 people who have gotten booster shots reported their experiences, and less than a third had any side effects, with the most common complaints being injection site pain, fatigue and headache.