Second booster shots now available for Sonoma County residents 50 and up, immunocompromised people

The COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Santa Rosa’s Roseland neighborhood was pretty much empty Thursday afternoon, except for the handful of polite greeters in medical scrubs who eagerly confirmed that second boosters were in fact available.

It was the first full day that second boosters were being offered after the county on Wednesday adopted federal and state guidance allowing for the extra inoculation using Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for residents 50 and up and immunocompromised individuals.

County officials said the boosters can now be obtained at local pharmacies and health care providers in the county. Several large pharmacies, including Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS, on Thursday confirmed second booster doses were available.

At the Roseland vaccine clinic, demand has dropped to about 50 to 100 daily shots, down from a peak of 800 in January, during the omicron surge, said Cheryl Fox, owner of Fox Home Health, which operates the clinic.

“The fact is the COVID virus is not going to go away,” said Fox, who encouraged residents to get vaccinated and boosted for protection. “It’s the best treatment we can do to prevent severe illness.”

Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the green light for a second booster of either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines for the two groups, provided it’s been four months since the first booster.

County health officials said immunocompromised residents 12 to 17 are only eligible to receive a second booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Local public health officials waited for a nod from the California Department of Public Health and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup before adopting the federal guidance.

“High-risk individuals, including the elderly and immunocompromised, are still at risk from severe outcomes from COVID-19,” Dr. Urmila Shende, Sonoma County’s vaccine chief, said in a statement. “Vaccine protection wanes over time, and a second booster dose is important to increase protection.”

County officials said those who qualify under the federal guidelines should contact their primary care doctor, local pharmacy or visit MyTurn.ca.gov to schedule a booster shot. On Thursday, it did not appear as though the MyTurn.ca.gov website had been updated to include drop-down menu options for second booster shots.

Representatives of the California Department of Public Health could not be reached Thursday because of the Cesar Chavez Day holiday.

COVID-19 vaccines are available for everyone age 5 and older, while booster shots are available for everyone age 12 and older.

In Sonoma County, 81% of residents 5 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Another 64% have had a booster shot. The current rate of virus transmission is 5.1 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, the lowest it’s been since early June 2021, a period of low coronavirus spread before the delta surge.

Public health officials advise that boosting waning immunity is one way of avoiding serious COVID-19 illness, as well as curbing future surges. Booster rates among the county’s younger residents are much lower than for older residents.

Residents 12 to 49 are just 54% boosted, while 74% of those 50 and older have received a booster shot.

On Tuesday, the CDC noted that newly published data shows that adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine at least four months ago can now get a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Both the FDA and the CDC emphasized that a second booster is not associated with new safety concerns.

The FDA reported that second booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine may be administered to certain immunocompromised individuals 12 years of age and older at least three months after receipt of a first booster dose of any approved COVID-19 vaccine. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplants or who are living with conditions that are considered to be equivalently immunocompromised.

A second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine may be administered at least four months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to certain immunocompromised individuals 18 years of age and older, the agency said.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.