Riverside County residents ages 65 and older, and those at-risk of a severe COVID-19 case, can get the Pfizer vaccine booster at one of various vaccine clinics operated by Public Health and community partners beginning Saturday.
It is available for those who received their second vaccine dose at least six months ago. Federal and state health officials approved using the booster this week, and Riverside County officials moved forward with a rollout plan to begin administering the doses starting Saturday.
In addition to the age requirement, those eligible for the booster include:
• Residents in long-term care settings
• People aged 50 to 64 with underlying medical conditions
• People aged 18 to 49 years with underlying medical conditions, based on their individual benefits and risks
• People aged 18 to 64 years at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional settings. based on their individual benefits and risks
“The booster vaccine is something that has been discussed for many weeks and we are very excited that Public Health, along with our community partners, are now in a position to move forward,” said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, county public health officer. “Those who are eligible should be confident that a vaccine booster will be available for anyone who wants one.”
COVID-19 vaccines have been available in Riverside County since December, and more than 2.6 million doses have been administered between Public Health clinics and those operated by community partners, such as pharmacies, hospitals, private health providers and private clinics. Some of the issues that plagued the early rollout of the vaccine, such as supply shortages, lack of appointments and technical glitches, have been resolved, officials said.
“We have learned many lessons along the way and those challenges we faced before have been addressed,” Leung said. “We have worked in collaboration with our community partners and we are confident the infrastructure that is in place now will handle any demand for the booster dose.”
Health officials will be adding five new fixed clinic locations throughout the county, along with bringing on more mobile vaccine teams t to provide services to hard-to-reach communities and neighborhoods.
Public Health encourages anyone who has yet to get their first dose to get vaccinated.
For more information about locations for clinics, or to make an appointment, visit https://myturn.ca.gov/ or call 951-358-5000. For more information about the vaccine or COVID-19, visit ww.rivcoph.org/coronavirus.
