PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) is now offering bivalent COVID-19 vaccines to children 6 months of age and older. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorization for both Pfizer and Moderna to include the bivalent vaccines for children younger than 5 on Dec. 8, followed by approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Dec. 9. The bivalent vaccines will provide increased protection against the omicron variant that has been circulating since last year.

"With the holidays approaching, it is more important than ever to provide our children the best protection possible against COVID-19," said Mayor Robert Garcia. "These bivalent vaccines are safe and easy ways to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe this season."

The Health Department will offer the following bivalent vaccines via a non-appointment basis starting Friday, Dec. 16:

• The Moderna bivalent vaccine will be offered as a booster in children ages 6 months to 5 years old at least 2 months after the completion of their primary series of Moderna monovalent vaccine.
• The Pfizer bivalent vaccine will be offered to children ages 6 months to 4 years old as the third dose in the Pfizer primary series. Children who have already received all three primary doses of Pfizer monovalent vaccine are not eligible to receive a bivalent dose.

Bivalent vaccines for children in this age group will be available only at the following City-run vaccination sites:

• Cabrillo High School (2100-2198 Monitor Ave.)
  • Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
  • Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• El Dorado Park West (2800 N. Studebaker Rd.)
  • Wednesdays, 2 to 4 p.m.

People may currently utilize the non-appointment option; appointments scheduling via MyTurn will begin in the coming weeks.

Currently, most cases of COVID-19 are caused by the omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. The bivalent vaccines offer increased protection against these omicron subvariants as well as the original strain of the virus.

With BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants currently circulating, and the potential for new variants to emerge, it is important for all those who are eligible to receive the bivalent booster and ensure children are up to date on their COVID-19 and other vaccines. The Health Department continues to urge everyone to get vaccinated and boosted when eligible. Vaccines are safe and effective in preventing COVID-19 infection and especially effective at preventing hospitalization, serious illness or death among breakthrough cases of the virus. To view the most up-to-date vaccine clinic schedule and to schedule an appointment, visit longbeach.gov/vaxLB or call 562.570.4636.

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep our residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity and @LBHealthDept on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. People may also visit longbeach.gov/COVID19data for up-to-date information regarding cases and vaccines in Long Beach.