California Extends Covid-19 Vaccine Booster to All Adults, Just as Transmission Rate Turned Red
Sites that administer coronavirus vaccines may not reject any adult over 18 years.
Photo: Leon Neal / Getty Images
California opened eligibility for coronavirus booster vaccines to include anyone from 18 years or higher, making it at least the second state to expand official eligibility beyond seniors and people in high-risk circumstances.
“California vaccination sites will not be able to turn away anyone requesting a booster if they have 18 years or more and was fully vaccinated well in advance, ”said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, state director of public health, in a letter dated November 9.
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Boosters will be administered six months after full vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, two months after the only Johnson & Johnson injection.
Vaccination providers of California should “allow patients to self-determine their risk of exposure,” he said, even if their work, location or members of their households put them at higher risk of contracting the virus.
That will allow greater leeway than guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nation’s public health agency, which recommends boosters for fully vaccinated adults with medical conditions. underlying data, those older than 65 years and older than 18 years whose occupational exposure put at risk.
At a news conference Wednesday, California officials noted that cases were on a worrying rise in other parts of the world. country and that vaccines were the best way to prevent a sudden increase in winter.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of Health and Human Services state, said federal guidelines recognize that there is growing evidence of decreased immunity months after people are fully vaccinated and that people outside of the groups specified by the CDC may also receive booster shots if they are available.
“If you’re interested in getting a booster, go ahead and get one,” Ghaly noted.
“The supply is di available. There are thousands of sites throughout the state. It’s not too late to get it this week. ”
On Tuesday, Pfizer and BioNTech requested that the Food and Drug Administration extend booster eligibility to anyone older than 18 years, but that decision has yet to be made.
California experiences new peak of cases
The COVID transmission rate – 18 California is currently higher than much of the southern states of the country, including those with the least pandemic restrictions, according to CDC data.
California’s Community Transmission Level as of Thursday is at the red “high” level of the four CDC levels, while almost all southern states are at level d e “substantial” orange transmission.
Florida, a state whose governor has spoken out against mask mandates and vaccine requirements, has an even lower case rate and is on the level “Moderate” transmission.
California’s seven-day case rate, approximately 112 For each 80, 000, is more than double that of Florida.
The rate of death in seven days in California per million people is also 11 times higher than Florida.
California has taken a stricter approach to addressing the pandemic and is among the nation’s leaders with approximately 74% of pe Eligible people with at least one dose of the vaccine.
Earlier this fall, California had the lowest case rate in the nation, but now he’s in the post 16 Governor Gavin Newsom said, while the positivity rate for test takers is 2.3% after falling below 1% in June.
People who are fully vaccinated are still strongly protected against COVID hospitalization and death – 19. But immunity against infections can decrease over time.
