New COVID-19 booster vaccines to arrive very soon, as California’s summer surge wanes
Vaccine boosters targeted to combat the omicron subvariants of COVID-19 may soon be available to most Californians, as the state continues to rebound from a prolonged surge brought on by those variants during spring and early summer.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended the new, “updated” boosters from Pfizer and Moderna, which were authorized for use Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration, for most adults and adolescents.
Pfizer’s booster was cleared for use in those 12 and older, and Moderna’s for those 18 and older.
Federal health officials said the omicron-targeted booster rollout could begin as soon as Friday, though logistics and planning of the launch by governments and health providers may take some time.
“We are in the process of updating our COVID booster vaccines for the fall,” read a message atop the California Department of Public Health website for COVID-19 vaccines, My Turn, as of Friday morning.
“Booster appointments for people 12+ will not be available during this update. Please check back in soon to make an appointment.”
CDPH data show 72% of all Californians have received their primary series of coronavirus vaccine, but only 59% have received that series and at least one booster.
That means some 12 million Californians have yet to receive a first booster dose.
California’s latest COVID-19 numbers
COVID-19 transmission and hospital numbers have been improving in California since about mid-July, after climbing from early April until then. The surge developed as the highly contagious BA.2 variant took hold in spring, followed by the now-dominant BA.4, BA.4.6 and BA.5 strains.
BA.4, BA.4.6 and BA.5 are sister variants, and made up a respective 3%, 8% and 89% of new U.S. cases last week, according to the CDC.
The recent surge appears to be waning.
State health officials on Friday reported California’s latest case rate at 19.4 per 100,000 residents, down 13% in the past week. Infections spiked to about 50 per 100,000 during the first half of July.
Test positivity is also declining, CDPH data show, reported Friday at 8.7%. That’s down from 9.3% one week earlier, and from a peak of 16.2% during the latest surge.
Hospitalizations also are on a steady downward trend. CDPH as of Friday reported 3,004 virus-positive patients in hospital beds including 354 in intensive care units down 4% and 5% in the past week, respectively.
Virus levels in wastewater are also showing signs of improvement, according to a Stanford-based research project, which as of Friday showed COVID-19 activity in Sacramento sewage plants dipping to its lowest point since early May.
Sacramento-area numbers by county
Sacramento County’s latest case rate is 17.8 per 100,000 residents, state health officials said in Friday’s update, a 13% decrease from one week earlier.
Hospitals in Sacramento County were treating 144 virus patients Thursday, state data show, down from 167 one week earlier. The intensive care unit total decreased to 20 from 24.
Placer County’s latest case rate is 13.5 per 100,000 residents, a 3% decrease from one week earlier.
Hospitals in Placer County were treating 60 virus patients Thursday, down from 70 one week earlier. The ICU total increased to 11 from 10.
Yolo County’s latest case rate is 13 per 100,000 residents, a 6% decrease from one week earlier.
Hospitals in Yolo County were treating seven virus patients Thursday, down from eight a week earlier. The ICU total increased to three from two.
El Dorado County’s latest case rate is 10.1 per 100,000 residents, a 16% decrease from one week earlier.
Hospitals in El Dorado County were treating two virus patients Thursday, down from three a week earlier. The ICU total decreased to zero from one.
Sutter County’s latest case rate is 24.6 per 100,000 residents, down 5% compared to last week, and Yuba County’s is 24.7, up 7%, state health officials reported Friday.
The only hospital in Yuba County, which serves the Yuba-Sutter bicounty area, was treating seven virus patients Thursday, down from 10 one week earlier. The ICU total decreased to two from zero.
