COVID-19 Booster Shots: Where To Find Them In Palo Alto

PALO ALTO, CA — Booster shots, available at pharmacies/clinics in Palo Alto, are the best defense against COVID-19 illnesses as the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across the country, according to health officials.

Breakthrough COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant — infections among the vaccinated — are less common among people who have received their third vaccination shots, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The omicron variant, first reported in South Africa on Nov. 24, has been detected in all but a handful of states, including California.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said Friday the Pfizer and Moderna booster shots work well against the omicron variant and that there’s no need for a specific vaccine to fight it.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the omicron variant is likely to become the dominant coronavirus strain in the coming weeks. It currently represents 3 percent of new infections.

Public health officials are concerned that vaccination rates — currently 61 percent of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated, and only 28 percent have gotten booster shots — are insufficient to fend off a fifth wave of the coronavirus. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing, with about 120,000 new cases and 1,200 deaths reported each day, mainly from the delta variant.

To get a booster shot in Palo Alto, go to:

• Peninsula Healthcare Connection — 33 Encina Ave #103, Palo Alto, CA 94301
• CVS — 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301
• CVS — 352 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301
• CVS — 2701 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306
• Walgreens — 217 Alma St Suite 200, Palo Alto, CA 94301
• Walgreens — 2605 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306
• Walgreens — 4170 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306
• Safeway — 2811 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306

The following walk-in clinic is open on Wednesday:

Ravenswood Mobile Clinic (parking lots) — 270 Grant Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 — 1:00pm-4:00pm (*Vaccines for 5-11 not available)

Click here for additional vaccine locations and resources in Santa Clara County.

The CDC says Pfizer and Moderna booster shots both provide increased protection against COVID-19 and helped prevent severe symptoms in breakthrough cases.