Santa Clara County starts rolling out COVID booster shots for residents
FILE - A vial of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is pictured in a file image dated July 21, 2021. (Photo Illustration by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Santa Clara County has started offering COVID booster shots to residents throughout the county.
It comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans 65 and older and approved them for others with preexisting medical conditions and high-risk work environments.
"It's clear that boosters are a valuable tool that people can use to protect themselves and their loved ones," said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. "This is the next step in keeping up with best practices to protect us against COVID-19."
At this time, the booster shots are only available to those who received their last Pfizer dose at least six months ago. Decisions on boosters for those who received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines are still to come.
The county has made booster shots available at five of its large-scale vaccination sites: Mountain View Community Center, Emmanuel Baptist Church, DePaul Health Center Vaccination Site, San Martin Vaccination Site, and the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Expo Hall.
Health leaders say initial vaccinations are still the number one tool for preventing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID. Those who are still unvaccinated are strongly encouraged to do so.
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Booster shots will be available at the following Santa Clara County sites. Appointments can be made via sccfreevax.org.
Mountain View Community Center
201 S Rengstorff Ave,
Mountain View, CA 94040
Emmanuel Baptist Church
467 N White Rd,
San Jose, CA 95127
DePaul Health Center Vaccination Site
18550 DePaul Drive,
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
San Martin Vaccination Site
90 W. Highland Ave,
San Martin, CA 95046
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
Expo Hall
344 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA 95111
Patients can try to get an unscheduled booster by dropping in at the Morgan Hill site, officials said.