Many locals on the Central Coast are requesting the new COVID-19 booster

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The new COVID-19 booster has been available on the central coast now for three weeks. 

Doctors said locals are taking initiative and coming in on their own for walk-in appointments.

“We had a lot of people as soon as the FDA announced that the booster vaccinations had been approved. We had a lot of people asking for it," said Naishadh Buch, Pharm.D at Lompoc Valley Medical Center.

Healthcare providers do recommend receiving the booster before immunity decreases.

“There's been several people coming in asking, should I get it? And basically, the long and short of it is, yes, pretty much everybody over 12 qualifies, even if you're fully vaccinated," said Shayli Merlo, M.D., at Tenet Health Central Coast.

Local doctors said side effects have not been different than the previous COVID-19 vaccines. 

“So soreness at the injection site, redness, maybe a little bit of swelling at the injection site and then kind of more moderate symptoms would be like fever, body aches, fatigue. This generally lasts from like 24 to 48 hours," said Merlo.

Physicians said they are happy to be able to provide the community with the free booster. 

“You know, this is something that we've been very, very pleased and thankful for as far as having the ability to provide this. And we're probably one of the few places, you know, in the area that has continued to provide the free vaccination clinics basically since day one," said Buch.

Doctors recommend visiting primary care physicians for personalized concerns.