PRESS RELEASE
City of Long Beach
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90802
10/22/2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Release # 102221-2
Subject:
City to Begin Administering COVID-19 Boosters for Moderna, Johnson & Johnson
Decision follows FDA, ACIP approval
Contact:
Jennifer Rice Epstein
562.441.3590
Jennifer.RiceEpstein@longbeach.gov
Public Affairs Officer
Department of Health and Human Services
562.441.3590
Jennifer.RiceEpstein@longbeach.gov
Public Affairs Officer
Department of Health and Human Services
Long Beach, CA – Starting tomorrow, Saturday, October 23, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will begin offering COVID-19 boosters for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). This is in addition to the Pfizer boosters already being administered to eligible people.
“Our city has been doing a great job getting vaccinated, now with nearly 81% of our adults having received the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Now, with these additional boosters available we will be able to further protect our frontline workers and other high risk populations.”
As with Pfizer boosters, the Moderna booster will be available six months after an eligible person receives their second dose. Eligible people are those 65 and older; those 18 to 64 years old with underlying medical conditions; and those ages 18 and older with high institutional or occupational risk, including healthcare workers, long term care facility residents, first responders, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and workers in homeless shelters or prisons.
The Johnson & Johnson booster will be available to everyone 18 and older who has had their single dose at least two months prior.
People can get a booster with any brand, regardless of which vaccination they received initially. Anyone who qualifies for a booster can receive the Moderna vaccine as a half dose; a full dose of Pfizer; or a full dose of Johnson & Johnson. The timing of the booster (two months or six months) depends on the original vaccine administered (Johnson and Johnson or Pfizer/Moderna).
The booster clinics set up earlier this month have the capacity to administer boosters to all eligible people. And boosters will be available at all City-run vaccine sites, which run six days per week and have both day and evening appointments available. Up-to-date schedules can be found at longbeach.gov/vaxlb or by calling 562.570.4636. Eligible people may also receive boosters through their healthcare provider or at the many local pharmacies administering the booster.
In Long Beach, 56,603 people completed the Moderna two-dose series by April 20, and 19,982 completed the Johnson & Johnson single dose by August 20. Most of those individuals will be eligible for boosters.
People who are eligible via the above guidelines should consult their vaccine records and count forward six months from their second dose to see when they can receive the Moderna or Pfizer booster. For those who received the single dose of Johnson & Johnson, count two months from the date of receiving their single dose. Self-attestation stating that a person meets age, health condition or employment requirements will be required to receive a booster.
Vaccine has proven to be effective, even against the widely circulating Delta variant, but that protection decreases over time and federal health officials said a booster dose could prolong the vaccine’s protective qualities. Many common vaccines have multi-dose schedules or boosters in order to prolong their effectiveness. The Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen vaccine boosters have received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and have been endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
It remains critical that everyone 12 years old and older get vaccinated, and that people who receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccines get both doses. Nearly all cases of severe disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 continue to occur among those not yet fully vaccinated.
“Our city has been doing a great job getting vaccinated, now with nearly 81% of our adults having received the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Now, with these additional boosters available we will be able to further protect our frontline workers and other high risk populations.”
As with Pfizer boosters, the Moderna booster will be available six months after an eligible person receives their second dose. Eligible people are those 65 and older; those 18 to 64 years old with underlying medical conditions; and those ages 18 and older with high institutional or occupational risk, including healthcare workers, long term care facility residents, first responders, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and workers in homeless shelters or prisons.
The Johnson & Johnson booster will be available to everyone 18 and older who has had their single dose at least two months prior.
People can get a booster with any brand, regardless of which vaccination they received initially. Anyone who qualifies for a booster can receive the Moderna vaccine as a half dose; a full dose of Pfizer; or a full dose of Johnson & Johnson. The timing of the booster (two months or six months) depends on the original vaccine administered (Johnson and Johnson or Pfizer/Moderna).
The booster clinics set up earlier this month have the capacity to administer boosters to all eligible people. And boosters will be available at all City-run vaccine sites, which run six days per week and have both day and evening appointments available. Up-to-date schedules can be found at longbeach.gov/vaxlb or by calling 562.570.4636. Eligible people may also receive boosters through their healthcare provider or at the many local pharmacies administering the booster.
In Long Beach, 56,603 people completed the Moderna two-dose series by April 20, and 19,982 completed the Johnson & Johnson single dose by August 20. Most of those individuals will be eligible for boosters.
People who are eligible via the above guidelines should consult their vaccine records and count forward six months from their second dose to see when they can receive the Moderna or Pfizer booster. For those who received the single dose of Johnson & Johnson, count two months from the date of receiving their single dose. Self-attestation stating that a person meets age, health condition or employment requirements will be required to receive a booster.
Vaccine has proven to be effective, even against the widely circulating Delta variant, but that protection decreases over time and federal health officials said a booster dose could prolong the vaccine’s protective qualities. Many common vaccines have multi-dose schedules or boosters in order to prolong their effectiveness. The Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen vaccine boosters have received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and have been endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
It remains critical that everyone 12 years old and older get vaccinated, and that people who receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccines get both doses. Nearly all cases of severe disease, hospitalization and death from COVID-19 continue to occur among those not yet fully vaccinated.