Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials announced Saturday that they’d approved a third COVID-19 vaccine dose for immunocompromised county residents.
The announcement follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approval of an additional dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for immunocompromised people, with the FDA amending the vaccine’s emergency use authorization to allow for third doses.
Those who qualify for a third dose include organ transplant recipients, people undergoing cancer treatment, individuals with advanced or untreated HIV and those on certain immunosuppressive medications.
Third doses can be administered at least 28 days following the second dose of the vaccine, and individuals should ideally be vaccinated with the same vaccine they received for the first and second dose, however, receiving a third dose with another mRNA vaccine is acceptable if that is not possible, according to Public Health.
Public Health encourages individuals who qualify for a third dose to speak to their health care provider to confirm their eligibility and get vaccinated.
Additional doses are not currently being recommended for those who received the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, per Public Health.
For more information on receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in L.A. County, visit vaccinatelacounty.com or call 833-540-0473.
Public Health officials also released the following updated COVID-19 statistics Sunday:
Countywide COVID-19 cases reported in the past 24 hours: 3,356
Total COVID-19 cases in L.A. County: 1,350,370
New deaths related to COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours: 8
Total COVID-19 deaths in L.A. County: 24,900
Hospitalizations countywide: 1,650
Hospitalizations at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as of Aug. 12: 39, with 1,348 discharged since the onset of the pandemic.
COVID-19 cases reported in the Santa Clarita Valley in the past 24 hours: 183, 146 of which came from the city of Santa Clarita
Total COVID-19 cases in the SCV: 31,773
Total COVID-19 deaths in the SCV: 311
Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the city of Santa Clarita as of Aug. 8: 72.5%*
Percentage of vaccinated people (at least one dose) in the SCV as of Aug. 8: 69.1%*
*Percentages now include vaccination rates for residents between the ages of 12 and 15
