SAN DIEGO — It's time for a COVID-19 booster shot, according to doctors around San Diego as the county sees a spike in COVID-19 cases.
CBS 8 talked to doctors at Rady Children's Hospital, UCSD Medical Center, and the San Diego County Department of Health. They all said that some of the latest rounds of booster shots are already available at some of your local pharmacies and doctors’ offices.
Starting next week and through the next few weeks, there will be more vaccines readily available for you to protect yourself and your family.
"We've seen kids in the hospital being treated with Remdesivir, but we haven't seen severe disease and certainly the severe numbers we saw during the peak seasons of the pandemic," said Dr. Edmund Milder, Rady Children's Hospital.
Milder says this late summer, early fall spike in COVID-19 cases in San Diego County could be much worse if so many people weren't vaccinated. He says it's time for a booster shot if you are already vaccinated.
"It's recommended for everybody six months or older. There was a lot of debate about whether it should be targeted at higher-risk populations, but modeling suggests that giving it to everybody would provide the most protection and save the most lives. The more people vaccinated, the fewer people are getting infected, the slower the spread and the more people will be protected from COVID-19," Midler said.
There are a few ways you can get vaccinated.
- You can visit vaccines.gov to find a location near you anywhere across the country.
- If you live in San Diego County, we have myturn.ca.gov, which helps Californians find vaccination sites nearby.
- Most vaccines are now administered at your doctor’s office or pharmacy, but for others who don't have insurance or need a free vaccine, the County will be offering the vaccine at public centers.
"The county will be offering vaccines but we're going to offer it at public health centers to those who are uninsured to make sure that our most vulnerable populations that may not have access will still be able to come to a public health center to get a vaccine and there will be county promoted vaccination events in communities that have difficulty getting the vaccine so our more vulnerable communities will be able to have access to the vaccine that way," said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, Deputy Public Health Officer for San Diego County.
Dr. Davey Smith at UCSD says this specific COVID-19 booster shot is ready for this year’s strain of coronavirus.
"The virus has been evolving, so this vaccine is specifically based on the variants that are circulating now. And two, our immune systems have a faulty memory. They sometimes forget, so it's required for us to get a booster every now and then," Smith said.
Milder answers critics still on the fence about the vaccine, saying, "It can't promise you that you won't get COVID-19, but we know for sure it will keep people out of the hospital and it will keep people alive."
Some patients we talked to said they've been trying to get the vaccine and have had appointments canceled or delayed for later the same day. Doctors we talked to said the vaccine is still being rolled out and will become more readily available next week through the county and in the coming weeks at all doctors’ offices and pharmacies.
Doctors we talked to also say the best way to protect yourself this fall and winter is with both the flu shot and the COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot. You can even get the flu shot and the vaccine in the same visit.
Another tip doctors offered, if you know you're going somewhere crowded - like an indoor market - it might be a good idea to wear a mask. That way you can avoid catching whatever people have around you, altogether.
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