COVID-19 Information

Vaccine Updates

“Today, CDC Director Mandy Cohen endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation for adults ages 65 years and older to receive an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine dose. The recommendation acknowledges the increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 in older adults, along with the currently available data on vaccine effectiveness.

Previous CDC recommendations ensured that people who are immunocompromised are already eligible for additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its COVID-19 vaccine guidance and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) is asking everyone to check and make sure they have the most up-to-date protection available.

To put it simply, everyone ages 6 months and older should get at least one bivalent booster.

The CDC also made the following changes:

• Adults 65 and older can get a second bivalent booster four months after their first one.
• Immunocompromised people ages 6 and older can get a second bivalent booster two months after their first one.
• The bivalent vaccines are replacing the monovalent vaccines. The monovalent vaccines were formulated for the original strain of COVID-19, while the bivalent formula protects against that and newer Omicron strains.

The bivalent vaccines were approved in September 2022, so anyone vaccinated before that date has not had a bivalent booster.

Why Older Adults Especially Need Bivalent Boosters

Older adults remain among the most vulnerable to hospitalization and death due to COVID-19, making the protection offered by boosters especially important.

Studies and clinical data provide mounting evidence on the effectiveness of the bivalent vaccine at reducing the risk of symptomatic infection and severe illness, especially among people 65 and older.

Recent local data shows people 65 and older who were vaccinated, but didn’t have the bivalent booster, were twice as likely to be hospitalized and twice as likely to die from a COVID-19 infection than those who did get the bivalent booster.

Vaccines Remain Free and Easily Accessible

Public Health is offering bivalent vaccines and boosters to eligible residents at no cost, whether or not you have insurance, at hundreds of locations throughout Los Angeles County. Vaccination locations and appointments can be found at VaccinateLACounty.com or VacunateLosAngeles.com (en español) or by calling 1-833-540-0473.

For residents who have difficulties leaving their home, Public Health offers free in-home COVID-19 vaccine and booster appointments. Appointments may be booked at ph.lacounty.gov/vaxathome or by calling the Public Health COVID-19 Call Center at 1-833-540-0473.

Vaccinations Continue to Offer Hope for Minimizing the Impact of COVID-19

Vaccines continue to provide powerful protection against COVID-19, yet many LA County residents have not yet started their initial series or received any booster doses. There are currently 1.9 million unvaccinated residents 6 months and older, and of the 7.5 million age 5 and older who are fully vaccinated, 57% have not received any booster. With more infectious subvariants circulating in the county and immunity from vaccines and prior infections waning over time, it is critical for residents not up to date on their vaccines to take advantage of the new Fall booster that targets the currently circulating BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

Vaccines have continued to provide protection against the virus. For the two-week period ending September 1, unvaccinated residents were two times more likely to get infected than those who are vaccinated and four times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated residents. Unvaccinated residents were also nearly seven times more likely to die from COVID-19 than vaccinated residents.

Sadly, because vaccination coverage is not similar across all age groups and race/ethnicity groups, there are some communities where there may be less protection from severe outcomes associated with COVID. As of September 18, only 22% of Latinx and Black children ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated, compared to almost 42% of White children and 61% of Asian children in this age group.

Young Latinx and Black adults ages 18 to 29 also had significantly lower vaccination rates of 58% and about 48%, respectively, compared to 91% of Asian residents and almost 77% of White residents in the same age group.

As we enter Fall and prepare for Winter, residents are able to take advantage of the powerful protection offered by vaccines. Those who haven’t yet received their initial series may want to get started immediately since it will take a few weeks to reach maximum protection. The 7 million residents eligible to receive the new Fall boosters should know that the new boosters match the dominating variants that are circulating, adding to their value in countering the natural waning of immunity that happens with the passing of time. Residents ages 18 and older can receive either the Moderna or the Pfizer bivalent booster, while children ages 12 to 17 can receive the Pfizer bivalent booster. Both are given as a single booster dose, administered at least two months following primary or previous booster vaccination.