Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
The Updated COVID-19 Booster Has Been Available For A Month… And Ignored By The Vast Majority
Vaccine mandates have caused pushback.
(
Markus Spiske/Unsplash
)
Topline:
Just 5% of eligible Angelenos have received the new bivalent COVID-19 booster, one month into the rollout. That’s about 355,000 people.
Why This Matters: For the first time the shots match the circulating virus. The tweaked shots target both the original coronavirus strain and the currently circulating omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. Public health officials expect to see another COVID-19 wave around Thanksgiving, and warn it could be worse if more people don’t get boosted now.
Who Can Get Boosted: The CDC recommends that everyone 12 and older get an updated booster as long as it’s been two months since their last shot.
What About Little Kids? Authorization of the bivalent boosters for younger children ages 5 to 11 may be just a few weeks away. If federal health officials give the green light, the boosters could be available for younger children before the end of October.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
