California has been battling the Covid-19 pandemic since the first case was recorded on Jan 25, 2021. Over the past 19 months, Covid cases have risen astronomically, prompting mass lockdowns and the shut down of businesses. Along with the normal strain of Covid-19, there have been numerous variants like the Alpha variant, and now the raging Delta variant.

The Delta variant was first found in India in December 2020 and made its way to California in July 2021. This variant has proven to be 3 times more contagious than the original variant, which has raised worries regarding the safety of California residents as the state begins to reopen.
With the Delta variant of Covid-19 becoming more worrying as the numbers start to rise more and more, the CDC is urging Americans to receive the vaccine as a preventative measure to this new variant.

As of Aug 23, 2021, the Pfizer vaccine was fully approved by the FDA for people 16 and older. The decision to approve the vaccine encourages more people to receive it, which then lowers the death rates as well as case rates. Although the vaccine is aiding in slowing the spread of Covid-19, officials have implemented a booster shot to better protect those who have received the vaccine.

Citizens would receive their booster shot eight months after their initial doses. In turn, this would allow the recipient to build up extra antibodies to fight against Covid-19 and act as a safeguard against the virus as the Delta variant continues to spread across the country.

Even with the vaccine being approved by the FDA, many people are still skeptical about whether or not the vaccine is safe. Most concerns are surrounding the possibility of long-term effects, which are still unknown.

The rollout of these booster shots will be straightforward. Healthcare workers and citizens over the age of 65 will receive their third shot first, because they were the first group to receive the vaccine initially, and so on. Booster shots appear to be safe for people of all ages who have already been vaccinated previously.

These shots would help the government keep better track of Covid-19 numbers and aid in flattening the curve of cases that is rising as the Delta variant becomes a bigger threat in the United States.