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Eligible Ventura County residents can begin receiving their booster dose at any of the almost 200 sites offering the Pfizer vaccine
Ventura, CA – Following the Centers for Disease Control and the California Department of Public Health endorsements, eligible County of Ventura residents can begin receiving their booster doses at any sites offering the Pfizer vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine is recommended six months or later following the primary vaccination series for certain individuals.
People previously vaccinated with Pfizer BioNTech who SHOULD receive a booster include:
- Age 65 years and older;
- Long term care residents; and
- Age 50 through 64 years with underlying medical conditions or at increased risk of social inequities (including communities of color and others at risk of inequities).
People who MAY CONSIDER receiving a booster based on their individual benefits and risks include:
- Age 18 through 49 years with underlying medical conditions; and
- Age 18 through 64 who are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to their occupation or institutional setting including healthcare workers, first responders, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers, farmworkers and workers in homeless shelters or prisons.
The CDC will soon release more specific definitions for underlying medical conditions and high-risk occupational or institutional settings. Residents who received Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will need to wait until the FDA and CDC review the data and determines the need for and safety of boosters for these vaccines.
Eligible residents who completed their two-dose Pfizer vaccine series at least six months ago can make an appointment for their boosters by visiting MyTurn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255. Vaccine locations can be filtered by type of vaccine by visiting www.vaccines.gov or calling 1-800-232-0233. Community members also encouraged to contact their medical provider, make an appointment at a pharmacy or clinic that offers Pfizer vaccinations, or find a Public Health clinic at www.vcrecovers.org. Whether by appointment or walk-in, residents are required to bring proof that they received two previous Pfizer doses, which can be in the form of the white vaccination card, a photo of the white card, or a digital record of the previous two doses. At some sites, residents may be asked to sign an attestation form indicating they meet the criteria to receive the Pfizer booster.
Boosters offer enhanced protection for those fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago who are at increased risk of getting COVID-19 and/or experiencing severe illness from COVID. According to Ventura County Public Health Director Rigoberto Vargas, while eligible residents are encouraged to get their booster, “the focus remains on vaccinating those at greatest risk for getting infected, being hospitalized and dying from COVID: those that have not been fully vaccinated.” Those not yet vaccinated can also make an appointment to get vaccinated at MyTurn.ca.gov, by calling 833-422-4255. Residents can obtain a record of their vaccine record at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/.
The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging provides no cost transportation to vaccination sites for those in need of support and in-home vaccination for homebound individuals. Services can be requested by calling 805-477-7300.
Stay informed about COVID-19 at www.vcrecovers.org.
