During the current Omicron surge, COVID-19 vaccines (primary series and boosters) are an essential way for our communities to stay healthy. We would like to share COVID-19 vaccine resources for long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and your members. 

Why COVID-19 vaccine boosters are important: 

Boosters help improve protection against the Omicron variant for people who already received their primary series: data show that people who have been boosted are 10 times less likely to get infected than people who have not yet received their booster. Boosters are especially important for people at high risk of severe COVID-19, including people who live in long-term care facilities. Strongly encourage LTCF residents and staff to receive their boosters.

Adults are eligible for a booster dose of any COVID-19 vaccine 5 months after their Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine primary series, and 2 months after their Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine dose. mRNA vaccines are now preferentially recommended over Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

How can LTCFs help?  

Share these booster resources below with members, LTCF staff and residents:

Posters and Flyers for Staff and Residents 

• Protect Your Staff and Residents With COVID-19 Boosters Poster (HHS) 
• Everyone in Long-Term Care Needs Protection Against COVID-19 and Influenza flyer|Spanish | Tagalog (CDPH) 
• Please encourage facilities to post with specific information in the bottom right-hand corner for where/when to access COVID-19 and flu vaccination

More information regarding boosters and COVID-19 vaccination for LTCFs

• COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots (CDC) 
• Stay Up To Date with Your Vaccines (CDC) 
• COVID-19 Information for LTC Residents and Family Members (CDC) 
• HHS COVID-19 Public Education Campaign (HHS) 

How can LTCF residents and staff access COVID-19 vaccine, especially boosters? 

• MyTurn: Visit myturn.ca.gov or, please call the CA COVID-19 Hotline at 1-833-422-4255 (MF 8AM-8PM, Sat-Sun 8AM-5PM) for assistance 
• Vaccine Finder: Visit vaccines.gov to find vaccines near you 

If you are interested in learning about the various options in accessing COVID-19 vaccine for residents and staff, review the Long-Term Care Facility COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit.

Valuable resources within the toolkit include: 

• LTC Pharmacy and Retail Pharmacy contact information  
• Appendix A: Flow chart to walk through vaccination resources 
• Appendix B: LTC pharmacies listed by county 
• Information on how to enroll your facility as a Vaccine Provider  
• Local, State, and Federal Resources  
• If your facility still needs vaccination access assistance after reaching out to pharmacies and LHDs,  
• Fill out this state LTCF Vaccine Access Assistance Request Form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=URsxH9n2U0GbrFXg75ZBuHfjOGgpBctBrXVE2pT8mA5UQTUxWldJRDRKWUlDUEFZQlE3WEpCTENQOS4u