HANCOCK — Booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccine are already being made available to some members of the public.

Immunocompromised people can make appointments at the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department for a booster shot, said Health Director Kate Beer. The target date for when the shots can be opened to the general public is Sept. 20, Beer said. Michigan is waiting on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for authorization.

Immunocompromised people can get a booster shot four weeks or later after their second shot. For the general public, booster shots are planned to be available eight months after the person’s second shot. For now, the shots are only planned to be given to people who received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Beer said it is not yet known whether additional booster shots will be needed later. The extent to which the booster shots will enhance protection against the virus has also not been determined, Beer said.

“That’s what they’re trying to decide and go over that data, because what they’ll do is recommend how large of a dose people should get,” she said. Immunocompromised people are receiving doses equal to the first two shots.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released in August found that vaccinations are reducing the risk of infection by 66%, compared to 91% effectiveness before Delta became the dominant strain. The vaccines remain highly effective in guarding against severe outcomes: another CDC study looking at 21 hospitals in 18 states found 86% effectiveness in preventing hospitalization.

Demand for regular doses of the vaccines has been “very light,” Beer said. About 54.3% of people in the five-county area had received the vaccine as of Sept. 1, up 0.5 points from the previous week.

“We’re requesting that people get vaccinated as soon as they can,” Beer said.

There are no larger vaccination clinics planned for now, Beer said. The WUPHD is looking at reopening the Water Street property with Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center and UP Health System — Portage if there is higher demand. They may also do COVID testing out of the site, Beer said.

The health department is also working on setting up a regional lab at the Hancock building, including a new diagnostics machine. The machine, acquired through a state grant, will be able to do 300 to 500 tests per day, up from 72 on the health department’s current machine, which was set to go online in a couple of weeks, Beer said. Results would be available in 72 hours, Beer said.

COVID cases in Houghton County, after reaching their highest point since April last month, have dropped in recent weeks. As of Monday, Houghton County was averaging 64 weekly cases per 100,000 residents, down from 142 on Aug. 18. The county is still ranked as having a substantial risk by CDC metrics, its second-highest level.

State data using the weekly case rate metric only dates back to March. Using the previous metric of daily cases per million, Houghton County’s position compares favorably to the same point last year prior to the vaccine. As of Aug. 30, the county had 98 daily cases per million. At the same point a year ago, the county had 172 per million, in the early part of a steep trajectory that would see a late-September peak of 770.

The health department is keeping a close eye on schools as the academic year starts up, Beer said. Fewer than 10 cases were detected at Michigan Technological University in the two weeks between Aug. 25 and Wednesday, according to its COVID-19 dashboard.