Long Beach will begin offering a second COVID-19 booster shot as of today, city health officials said, following the Biden administration’s announcement that those over 50 and those who are immunocompromised can get the shot.
The booster shot can either be an additional dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot or a half-dose of the Moderna vaccine.
The shot must be administered at least four months after a person’s last booster shot of either vaccine, officials said.
Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Federal Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said evidence suggests that there may be some waning protection over time from COVID-19, particularly in order adults or those with health conditions.
A second booster “could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals,” he said in a statement.
Health officials are worried that the emergence of a new BA.2 subvariant of the virus may lead to more infections in coming months, though hospitalizations and other indicators for the virus are down dramatically across Long Beach and Los Angeles County since the winter surge.
Last week county health officials said about 14.7% of all new cases of the virus are the new variant, more than double the rate from the previous week.
For a list of all vaccination sites in Long Beach, click here.
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