All California Adults Now Allowed To Get COVID-19 Booster Shots

LOS ANGELES, CA — All fully vaccinated adults seeking a booster shot should be able to get one, the California Department of Public Health announced Thursday in a letter directing health care providers not to deny booster shots to patients.

The announcement opened up booster shot eligibility to millions of people across the Golden State. It came as coronavirus cases climbed again in California, raising concern about another winter surge. Over the last two weeks, COVID-19 cases climbed by 6 percent statewide and hospitalizations rose 1 percent, according to the New York Times coronavirus tracker.

California Department of Public Health Director Tomás J. Aragón sent a letter to health care providers and county health departments across the state this week instructing them not to deny booster shots to any fully vaccinated adult who received a second Moderna or Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago, as well as adults who got the Johnson & Johnson shot more than two months ago.

“Do not turn a patient away who is requesting a booster,” Aragón said. “Allow patients to self-determine their risk of exposure.”

Before now, health care providers were instructed to administer boosters only to people eligible under federal guidelines, including older people, workers in high-risk environments and people at risk for severe coronavirus infections because of underlying health conditions.

But demand for the booster shot has been weak, despite reports showing that vaccine immunity wanes significantly after six months.

Fewer than 40 percent of fully vaccinated California residents 65 and older have gotten a booster, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, only 14 percent of all people eligible for a booster have gotten one in California. Officials worried that millions of people will gather over the holidays unaware of their risk from waning immunity.

Of the 25 million fully vaccinated people in California, 3.7 million have received booster shots.

Gov. Gavin Newsom sounded the alarm at an appearance in Los Angeles Wednesday.

"Winter is coming. Winter is here," Newsom said. "And as we are wont to be reminded and should be reminded, last year we had a challenging winter, particularly down here in Southern California. We started to see around this time last year case rates, positivity rates, hospitalization rates, ICU numbers, start to increase. We're starting to see that now all across the globe. We've seen those trends, not dissimilar to last year."

He added: "This in so many ways is part of a pattern that is familiar, and the one thing that can interrupt that pattern is the one thing we're here to promote, and that's increasing your immunity that does wane after a number of months, six or so months, by getting a booster shot and reminding everybody of the opportunity to get their first shot if they haven't."

City News Service contributed to this report.