COVID-19 Information

Protect Yourself Against COVID-19

August 2, 2024

• COVID-19 wastewater levels have risen in Alameda County and other parts of the Bay Area. Now’s a good time to review the strategies below for preventing COVID-19 infection.  
  
  
• COVID-19 poses the greatest risk for severe disease to those over 65 years of age and persons with certain health issues, including pregnancy. But, anyone who gets COVID-19 can develop long COVID.   
  
  • We encourage everyone to stay up-to-date on vaccination, stay home and test for COVID-19 when sick, and seek treatment if testing positive. Information on antigen and PCR testing can be found here. 
  • Alameda County has no masking requirements for the general public at this time and continues to align with state COVID-19 masking guidance.
  • For added protection, consider masking in any indoor public setting, especially if you are at higher risk for severe disease (over 65 years of age and/or persons with certain health conditions). 
    
    
• The CDC recommends that EVERYONE ages 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine at least 2 months after their last dose. Novavax is only authorized for persons 12+. 
  • Most persons who have never been vaccinated only need one dose of Pfizer/Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or 2 doses of Novavax to be considered up-to-date.  
  • The CDC now recommends that everyone 65 and older get a second dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after their last dose. 
  • Children 6 months to 4 years of age who have never been vaccinated are still recommended to get either 2 or 3 doses COVID-19 vaccine.  
     
• If you have insurance, including Medi-Cal, please contact your healthcare provider or pharmacy about COVID-19 vaccination.  ACPHD offers COVID-19 vaccines to adults without insurance and adults whose insurance does not provide cost-free coverage. Visit our vaccine page or vaccines.gov (make sure to click “Bridge Access Program”) to find a location near you.