Around 5% of Sacramentans have received the new COVID vaccine. Here’s how to if you work during the day.

Limited hours for some COVID-19 vaccine clinics and a lack of COVID-specific leave may be leaving people unvaccinated for longer as the winter approaches. Still, some resources still exist to help people get updated protection.

This year’s COVID-19 vaccine began rolling out last month, and public health leaders on the state and local level are encouraging all people over 6 months old to get the monovalent vaccine and get their flu shot at the same time. The monovalent formulation is designed to fight one recent variant, XBB.1, as opposed to last year’s bivalent booster, which was created to fight two.

As of Oct 20, only about 4.6% of eligible Californians have received the updated vaccine. In Sacramento County it’s a bit higher. Here, around 80,000 people — or 5.2% of the population — have gotten the new shot, with the highest proportion being people over 65. About 22% of people received last year's bivalent booster.

Locally, some people on Reddit have complained of long waits and being turned away after hours at Kaiser Permanente vaccine clinic locations. Of the two Kaiser vaccine clinics in Sacramento, both are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and only one is open on Saturdays. 

Dozens commented under an Oct. 14 post warning of “a 2+ hour wait for flu and/or Covid vax at Kaiser Point West.”

In an emailed statement, Kaiser did not respond to questions about why hours of many clinics are limited to the work week.  

“Vaccine availability and wait times can vary by location, time and even day of the week,” said a Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman in an email. “We strive to keep wait times as low as possible at every location and appreciate our members’ patience if they happen to encounter a wait.”

The federal COVID public emergency expired in May, ending the Biden administration’s subsidization of vaccines. Now, pharmacies have to pay for it themselves, and supplies for county clinics aren’t as abundant. Plus, workers no longer have special protected time to get the shot and extra time off if they get sick.

Here are some answers to questions about how to get vaccinated in the Sacramento region and what resources are still available now that the emergency declaration has ended.

Where can I get my new COVID vaccine?

Health insurers in California are required to cover COVID tests, vaccines and therapeutics for people who get these services in-network. 

Check with your local pharmacy to see if they have appointments and take your insurance. Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS have appointments to book online, sometimes concurrently with the flu shot. You can also get the vaccine at Costco or Walmart. 

If you have Kaiser Permanente as your insurer, the medical group is holding flu/COVID vaccine clinics from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at most locations. Some clinics are also open Saturday. 

If you don’t have insurance, you will still be covered under the CDC’s Bridge Access Program, which will provide no-cost vaccines to uninsured adults through the end of 2024. You can go to myturn.ca.gov to book an appointment (sometimes only available for that day or a day later in the week) or find a walk-up clinic. 

How do I get my vaccine if I work during the day?

You can use paid sick time for preventative measures like getting a vaccine. 

Daniella Urban, Executive Director of the Center for Workers Rights, said to tell your supervisor: “‘I need to take this protected time for prevention.’ You don't need to specifically tell them that it's for a COVID vaccine.”

All workers in California are guaranteed three days of paid sick leave, and thanks to a bill recently signed by the governor, that minimum is going up to five in January. 

What if I’m out of sick time?

If you’re out of sick time, Urban recommends that you ask your boss regardless for a few hours to go get the vaccine. 

“While it may not be paid time, an employer might be willing to let you have unpaid time to go get vaccinated because it helps them prevent the spread and they are required to make sure that they are preventing the spread of COVID in the workplace.”

Urban says that per the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, every employer has to have a plan where they outline how they're protecting their workers from hazards, including COVID. 

If I have Kaiser, are there options for me outside of the vaccine clinics? 

Yes. By California law, if you can’t make it to a Kaiser vaccine clinic, you can get a vaccine at a retail pharmacy and get fully reimbursed if you file a claim on the Kaiser website until Nov. 11, 2023. After that date, you may only be reimbursed for about 50% of the cost, depending on your coverage. 

Kaiser says people with Medicare Advantage plans or people with “self-funded” plans, as opposed to “fully insured plans” (ask your company which you have), cannot be reimbursed for out-of-network costs. 

If I get sick with COVID and I don’t have sick days left, what are my options? 

COVID sick leave has ended, but if you’ve been working at your company for over a year, and worked more than 1,250 hours, you are eligible to take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave under the California Family Rights Act.

“That will be the main protection currently if someone does get a serious case of COVID and they need to take more long term time off, that's what protects their job,” Urban said. 

Editors’ Note: This post has been updated to use the term vaccine instead of booster, in line with language used by the FDA.