How to find the new Covid vaccine, summer surge plateau, bad eggs, and more
The CA Dose, September 4, 2025
Last week, the combination of a Covid surge and uncertain vaccine access was an active concern for us in California. Today’s edition offers some promising news on both fronts, and invites you to check on your eggs… Let’s dive in.
Finding the new Covid-19 vaccine
I’ve received numerous questions about fall Covid-19 vaccine availability in California. Most of the feedback boiled down to this: “The new Covid vaccine situation is so confusing… How and when can I get the vaccine?”
The current HHS leadership knows that a chaotic vaccine rollout reduces uptake, even for those who are eligible. None of us have all day to figure out how to get the vaccine, or if we qualify.
So I’ve done some of the work for you. Because most of us get our routine vaccines in pharmacies, I focused there.
It was way easier than I expected to get an appointment for the new Covid vaccine in California.
What I did: I went online to try to book an appointment for myself next week for the updated Covid-19 vaccine at California’s top six pharmacies that offer in-store vaccinations: CVS, Walgreens, Safeway, Vons, Albertsons, Rite Aid, and Costco.
What I found: Rite Aid and Costco were not offering the new Covid-19 shot yet. For the others, I could book an appointment locally. The screenshots here are from the CVS site, but the others are similar. You can follow along.
After entering my name and date of birth, I was shown the vaccines I’m eligible for, like this:
This was a great reminder of the other vaccines the CDC says I can get at the same time as my Covid shot. After selecting Covid-19, this pops up—the self attestation step:
Clicking on the list of conditions and risk factors is optional, and here’s what it shows:
Looking closely at this list, it’s clear why, by some estimates, three quarters of Americans qualify. Two examples stand out:
Body mass index (BMI) greater than 25: A BMI of 26 for someone 5’4” is 150 pounds. For someone 6 feet tall, it’s 190 pounds. In California, almost half of us over age 25 fall into this group.
Physically inactive: The definition for this is not specified and is highly subjective.
Selecting “yes” to the self-attestation got me to the appointment scheduler.
Following this process I found appointments for the new Covid shot this week or next at CVS, Walgreens, Safeway, Vons and Albertsons. California pharmacies don’t ask for medical documentation or a doctor’s prescription for people who self-attest.
Still don’t qualify?
If you’re under 65 and don’t have any of the qualifying conditions (even after taking a broad view of the list), your risk for serious illness is low. You probably don’t have to rush to get the shot, and you can always reach out to your medical provider for guidance on getting the shot “off label”.
Yesterday, YLE issued a comprehensive guide to fall vaccines, to help you navigate your choices.
Remember, as we hear more noise about vaccine access and regulations (we’re still waiting for what’s left of RFK’s CDC advisory team to weigh in), our California neighborhood pharmacies are quietly getting the work done, shot by shot.
California is joining Western states for vaccine recommendations
Yesterday, Governor Newsom joined governors in Oregon and Washington to form a the “West Coast Health Alliance” to offer independent review of vaccine recommendations and access. This is prompted by the federal disarray around vaccine policy that YLE has covered in detail, ultimately leading to restricted access.
We’ve done this before
For Californians, this may feel familiar. During the early pandemic, our Covid vaccine recommendations were based on at least three layers of review—the FDA, the CDC, and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. The governors are calling that expert regional posse back together to navigate us through the current crisis. New England states have signaled they’re taking similar action.
Professional organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have recently issued independent recommendations for vaccines. These are more inclusive than FDA recommendations and are endorsed by the California Department of Public Health. It’s likely the Health Alliance will reinforce the scientifically grounded professional society recommendations for the three states.
Moving beyond guidance
It’s one thing to make recommendations that we can trust. It’s another to make them actionable in the health ecosystem—especially where state and federal recommendations differ. The alliance will be working to answer these questions, too.
Laws governing vaccine access were crafted years ago, when federal scientific institutions were more trustworthy. So they still point to CDC and FDA rulings as the standard. (Who would have anticipated the highest health offices would undermine science itself?) Because of this, many questions remain unanswered:
Will insurers cover vaccines that are recommended by states but not the federal government?
Will pharmacists or clinics that follow state guidance be liable?
Who will the health systems turn to in order to purchase enough vaccines?
In order for the alliance’s independent recommendations to have teeth, it’s likely California law also needs to change—to empower insurers, clinicians and pharmacists to legally apply guidance from experts outside of federal government.
This situation is evolving. For now, nothing really changes for Californians in terms of vaccine access. But this signals a reassuring reality—when federal systems are failing us, our state leadership sticks to the best science to keep us healthy. We’ll keep you updated.
California summer surge is plateauing
For the first time since the start of the Covid-19 summer wave in July, California wastewater trends are plateauing. Virus levels remain high in all regions, but the peak may be behind us. This is consistent with prior years—by September, we’re usually on the downslope in California.
How does this affect optimal vaccine timing?
This trend doesn’t change my vaccine recommendations. Transmission remains elevated well after the peak— we’ve seen “high plateaus” last for weeks. And our Covid winter surge can start as early as November. This means Covid vaccine timing is less based on season, and more on your personal immunity profile. If you’re eligible, and haven’t gotten the shot or been infected in the past 6 months, now is a good time. And wearing a well-fitted N-95 mask in crowded indoor places is a smart personal choice if you’re at high risk.
Salmonella outbreak: Time to check your eggs
The CDC and CDPH are investigating a multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to contaminated eggs that has sickened 95 people. California has been hit especially hard, because most of the contaminated eggs were distributed in our state.
As of September 1, California has 73 confirmed cases. The actual number of cases is likely much higher, since many people recover without getting medical care or testing. Eighteen people have been hospitalized and none have died.
What’s the culprit?
The contaminated products are large, brown cage-free eggs sold under three brands: Nagatoshi Produce, Misuho, and Nijiya Markets. Specifically, “sunshine yolks” and “omega-3 golden yolks” with sell-by dates between July 1 and September 18, 2025. These batches have not reached their expiration dates yet, and some may still be in our fridges. The names and locations of the grocery stores where these eggs were sold have not been released.
What’s Salmonella and how do I know if I have it?
Salmonella is a bacteria that affects the digestive system after we eat contaminated foods. It usually causes diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps that start between 6 hours to 6 days after exposure. Most people recover without treatment in 3-5 days, but children under 5, adults over 65, and those with weaker immune systems face higher risks of severe illness.
What can I do?
If you have eggs at home, check the package. If they match the culprit products listed above, throw them away and clean anything they may have touched with dish soap.
To prevent food related illness, including Salmonella, here are four steps to always follow:
Clean: Wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces often. Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or peeling.
Separate: Keep food that won’t be cooked separate from meat, poultry, and seafood.
Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure you have cooked food to a temperature high enough to kill germs.
Chill: Refrigerate perishable food (food that goes bad) within 2 hours.
It’s important these days to recognize our public health system in action. In a recall like this, a lot has to fall into place:
Salmonella cases are required to be reported in California. When people get sick and seek medical care, health care providers report cases to the health department.
Disease detectives then interview patients about what they ate and trace the source back to specific products.
Investigators identify contaminated food (in this case, eggs) and trigger recalls and public notifications to prevent additional illness.
This requires coordination between clinicians; labs; health departments at the local, state, and federal levels; grocery retailers; food inspectors; and finally, you, to take action.
This is life saving and routine public health practice, and happens in the background 24/7.
Bottom line
That’s your update for this week. Next week we’ll go beyond communicable diseases to address some emerging mental health topics. See you then!
Love,
Matt
Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and Public Health Officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife, children, and a dog named Teddy.
Any thoughts on where to find children’s Covid vaccines for kids who qualify as high risk? UCSF has told me they are out of stock and they don’t know when they will get more pediatric Covid vaccines
Thanks for this really helpful information. Have you learned anything about when Kaiser will have the updated Covid vaccine ?