The California Department of Public Health announced that most California residents are now eligible for an updated Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot.
These boosters are bivalent, which means they are pulling double duty by increasing immunity against the original coronavirus strain while also protecting against the newer Omicron variants, according to the statement released Saturday.
The updated bivalent boosters will now replace the existing monovalent booster vaccines -- the Moderna bivalent booster for individuals 18 years of age and older and the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster for individuals 12 years of age and older. Children ages 5-11 can still boost their immunity with the monovalent boosters currently available.
The state is prepared to begin offering the updated boosters to Californians as supplies arrive over the next few days.
The CDPH encourages individuals to check with their medical care provider or local clinic for an updated booster appointment, or to book through vaccines.gov. Appointments will also become available through myturn.ca.gov within weeks.
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