The new COVID-19 bivalent boosters have arrived in San Diego County and limited supplies are now available at vaccination locations across the region, including pharmacies and medical providers.
The new bivalent boosters were developed to generate an immune response from the original COVID-19 virus, as well as the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants.
The Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent booster is available for individuals age 12 and older, while the Moderna bivalent booster is for those age 18 and older. The bivalent boosters have not yet been authorized for children under the age of 12. Youths in that age group can get boosted with the previous version of the monovalent Pfizer vaccine.
San Diegans need to be fully vaccinated before receiving the new booster, meaning they must have received the two-dose primary series of Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax, or at least one shot of the Janssen vaccine. These vaccinations are still widely available. Anyone who received a previous COVID-19 vaccine less than two months ago can get the bivalent booster shot eight weeks after their last shot.
“These new boosters are safe and effective at protecting people against the Omicron variants, which are currently causing the majority of new infections in our region,” said Cameron Kaiser, M.D., M.P.H., County deputy public health officer. “Supplies of the bivalent vaccine will initially be limited, so we ask anyone who is planning to get the new booster to be patient.”
Initially, County doses will be available at four County-operated locations:
South Region Live Well Center
150 doses a day
690 Oxford St, Chula Vista
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
East Public Health Center
60 doses a day
367 N. Magnolia Ave, El Cajon
8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Central Region Public Health Center
60 doses a day
5202 University Ave
8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
North Inland Public Health Center
60 doses a day
649 W. Mission Ave, Escondido
9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The bivalent boosters will be available in the state’s My Turn system in the near future and will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. While the initial shipments of the vaccine have been limited, the County expects more doses to arrive in the coming days and weeks, with the next shipment expected to arrive as soon as Friday afternoon.
More information about County vaccine locations is available at coronavirus-sd.com or by calling 2-1-1.
Vaccination Progress:
- Received at least one shot: Close to 3.02 million or 90.3% of San Diegans age six months and older are at least partially vaccinated.
- Fully vaccinated: More than 2.67 million or 79.9%.
- Boosters administered: 1,446,706 or 59% of 2,452,870 eligible San Diegans.
- More vaccination information can be found at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine.
