K-12 Mask Mandate Reaffirmed In CA; Boosters In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Face mask requirements in Riverside County's K-12 schools will continue for the foreseeable future, according to a California Department of Public Health news statement issued this week. Boosters shots of the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines will be available starting next week in Riverside County, local health officials announced Friday.

K-12 Mask Mandate

"Now is not the time to let our guard down — especially as the winter months approach," a statement Wednesday from the CDPH read. "Ongoing vigilance is critical to protect against COVID-19. This is particularly important for schools, where many children are not vaccinated.

"... California is reaffirming its current approach to COVID-19 prevention and containment in schools and will continue to maintain the universal indoor mask mandate in K-12 schools and will continue to monitor conditions through the winter," the statement continued.

The ongoing mask mandate applies to all California K-12 schools. Riverside County Public Health and local school districts have largely followed state mandates.

According to the CDPH, recent studies from the 2021-2022 school year show that schools with universal masking requirements are less likely to experience outbreaks. Areas in the United States without school mask mandates experienced larger increases in pediatric COVID-19 case rates after the school year began, compared to areas with school mask requirements, the state agency said.

According to Riverside University Health System, since the pandemic began there have been 54,578 COVID cases reported in Riverside County children ages 0-17. Four of those patients died. The number of Riverside County children who have become seriously ill and/or hospitalized with the virus has not been made public.

The CDPH said it "continues to assess conditions on an ongoing basis to determine whether to update mask requirements or recommendations."

The state gave no indication that the mask mandate would end anytime soon, but the availability of a fully approved U.S. Food and Drug Administration COVID vaccine could be a game changer if enough kids receive the vaccine.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (now marketed as Comirnaty) has full FDA approval for people age 16 and older, and has emergency use authorization for children 12 to 15 years of age. The company has requested emergency use authorization for kids 5-11. Related Story: Moderna, J&J Boosters, And Vaccinating Youngsters: RivCo COVID

Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the COVID-19 vaccine will be mandated for California school kids — but only when there is full FDA approval.

Boosters For J&J, Moderna Start Next Week

On Friday, Riverside County health officials announced booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available starting Tuesday. The news follows federal authorization this week of the boosters and the anticipated recommendation by the state health department.

“This is one more important step in getting us through the pandemic,” said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Riverside County public health officer. “There also continues to remain opportunities for those who still need an initial dose to receive it at any of our community clinic and provider locations throughout the county.”

As of Friday afternoon, the CDPH had not greenlighted the J&J or Moderna boosters, but Riverside County health officials opted to prepare in anticipation that the state agency will give it approval before Tuesday.

Both federal and state health officials have authorized booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine.

The boosters can be mixed and matched, according to the FDA and the county. No doctor’s note or medical records are required to receive the booster dose, county officials confirmed.

Those eligible for the Johnson & Johnson booster include:
--People 18 years and older
--People who are two months or more from receipt of their first dose.
Those eligible for the Moderna booster include:
--People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings.
--People aged 18-64 years with underlying medical conditions.
--People 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID -19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional settings.
--People who are six months or more from receipt of their second dose.

To schedule a vaccination appointment, visit My Turn (https://myturn.ca.gov/), or call the county's Vaccination Customer Support at 951-358-5000, or call 2-1-1. Residents can also schedule an appointment through the RUHS-Public Health website www.rivcoph.org/covid-19-vaccine.

More than 2.9 million vaccine doses have been administered in Riverside County between the county-operated clinics and those run by the community partners, according to RUHS data.

Riverside County COVID-19 Update

Countywide, COVID-19 cases continue in all age groups. The number of COVID-positive patients hospitalized countywide increased Friday, while 209 new cases were confirmed and five new virus-related deaths were reported.

According to Riverside University Health System, COVID-related hospitalizations countywide rose to 243 Friday, compared to 229 on Thursday. The number of those patients in intensive care was 56, down from 57 on Thursday.

The total number of COVID cases recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020 stood at 362,003 as of Friday, up from 361,794 on Thursday.

Officials said on Friday a total of 5,134 deaths from virus-related complications have been recorded in the past roughly 19 months. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and can go back a month, sometimes longer.

Fully vaccinated Riverside County residents 12 and older stood at 59.9 percent on Friday, according to RUHS data.