Long Beach Health Department Now Administering COVID-19 Vaccine to Uninsured and Underinsured Only
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Long Beach, CA ~ The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) has announced that it will now be administering the COVID-19 vaccine only to people who are un- or underinsured. This is in line with the CDC's Bridge Access Program, which aims to make sure that everyone has access to the vaccine.

Mayor Rex Richardson said, "Ensuring vaccine is accessible to everyone is important for the health and wellbeing of our entire community. Dedicating City-run vaccination clinics to support those who are underserved will help increase people's access to the vaccine, which in turn will help prevent severe illness and hospitalizations."

The Health Department will be providing these vaccines free of charge to individuals ages 12 and older, effective immediately. Vaccines for children 6 months and older will be available beginning Wednesday, Sept. 27. The City encourages insured residents to obtain their updated COVID-19 vaccine through their healthcare providers or local pharmacies such as CVS, Albertsons, Walgreens, Vons and Pavilions, which will offer the updated monovalent vaccine.

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City-run vaccination clinics are now only offering monovalent vaccines as the Food and Drug Administration has deauthorized bivalent vaccines. The updated vaccines were created to more closely target currently circulating strains of coronavirus and significantly reduce the risk of developing severe COVID-19 complications and hospitalization. These mRNA vaccines are fully licensed for individuals age 12 years and older with emergency use authorization for those age 6 months to 11 years.

City Health Officer Anissa Davis said "There is great importance in receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall to protect yourself against severe disease and hospitalization...Vaccinations are one of the most important ways to combat COVID-19, especially with the continuous development of new variants."

The FDA anticipates that COVID-19 vaccines may need annual updates like seasonal influenza vaccines due to continuous variants emerging. The recommended vaccine schedule varies by age and condition; all individuals age 5 years and older should receive one dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine while children age 6 months to 4 years depend on whether they've been previously vaccinated or not; they should complete an initial series (two doses of Moderna or three doses of Pfizer). Moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals should complete a 3-dose initial series with at least one dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine and may receive one or more additional 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine doses.

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To find available appointments people may visit MyTurn.ca.gov while those with questions or concerns about this transition can contact their healthcare provider or the Health Department directly for more information on dosage information and considerations regarding vaccinations as a means of protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and fatalities. To date, 353,961COVID-19 vaccines have been administered by the Department along with boosters since its inception in 2020. For more information on all that Long Beach is doing regarding safety measures against Covid 19 visit longbeach.gov/COVID19

Filed Under: Government, City
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