Frequently Asked Questions from the Community
Below are several compiled questions asked repeatedly by community members over the last several months regarding COVID-19, safety, transmission, vaccination, and more.
"What are the chances now of catching it? Masks are optional and there are lots of folks without masks."
Depends on a lot of factors, such as masking/non-masking, if you are often in crowded areas, the date of your last vaccination or COVID infection, etc. Find out what infection rates are like in your community by visiting covid19.ca.gov.
Infection rates for all of CA: daily average of 2,295 new cases per day, or 5.7 new cases per 100,000 people (as of March 30th 2022 Source).
Infection rates for CCUIH member counties:
- Sacramento: average of 115 new cases per day
- SF: average of 83 new cases per day
- Alameda: average of 126 new cases per day
- Fresno: average of 55 new cases per day
- San Joaquin: average of 55 new cases per day
- Kern: average of 38 new cases per day
- Santa Barbara: average of 21 new cases per day
- LA: average of 565 new cases per day
- San Diego: average of 195 new cases per day
"Why aren't people taking precautions anymore?"
Lots of personal reasons such as COVID fatigue, a presumption that COVID is over, less messaging and emphasis on safety precautions from government messaging, peer pressure of most people returning to “pre-pandemic norms.” It is understandable that people are feeling this way. However, it is still important to take precautions and protect yourself as COVID-19 is still prevalent throughout the state.
I got 2 covid shots in 2020, should I get a third booster shot this year? Is it necessary?
Boosters are recommended to give your body the best chance at fighting the COVID virus if you do get infected. The updated bivalent booster helps remind your body how to fight COVID infection, so that if you do get infected, your body can react quicker and more efficiently to overcome COVID.
"Does getting boosters really change the chance of me getting Covid? It seems like there is a new booster every few months."
Recent data shows that adults who received the updated bivalent vaccine reduce their risk of infection by at least 40% compared to those who have not received their primary series. We have over two years of data that shows that the mRNA COVID vaccines are an incredibly effective way to protect against severe illness by COVID-19 infection. The first booster doses were monovalent and targeted the original strain while the updated boosters are bivalent and target both the original strain and the Omicron strains causing the most recent cases. An updated bivalent booster dose provides significant additional protection against COVID-19 symptoms compared to monovalent vaccines alone.
"Do the boosters help protect from other illnesses such as flu, cold, RSV?"
Unfortunately, no 🙁 Each of these illnesses needs its own vaccines, as they are caused by different viruses.
"How effective are the new boosters compared to the previous? Why do I need it?"
The original doses of COVID vaccines and the first rounds of boosters were targeted towards the first iterations of the COVID virus. As the virus adapts and changes, it has become more resistant to the original vaccine. The new (bivalent) booster is the most up to date vaccine to help protect against recently circulating variants, such as Omicron variants.
Have More Questions? Ask Us Here!
COVID-19 Community Lives
In order to remain current about the questions, concerns, and needs of community, we hosted two Facebook lives where community members could let us know what they wanted more information about, what they already knew, and how we could better serve them. Below are the recordings of those sessions.
Information on this page last updated:
April 10th, 2023