January 31, 2022
On December 22, 2021, the California Department of Public Health issued a State Public Health Order requiring workers at health care facilities to get their COVID-19 booster shot. The deadline was originally set for February 1, 2022, but CDPH announced last week that individuals working in health care facilities now have until March 1, 2022, to get their shot. If they are not eligible for a booster by March 1, they must get their booster shot within 15 days of becoming eligible.
The facilities impacted by the CDPH booster order include:
- General acute care hospitals
- Skilled nursing facilities (including subacute facilities)
- Intermediate care facilities
- Acute psychiatric hospitals
- Adult day health care centers
- Program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (pace) and pace centers
- Ambulatory surgery centers
- Chemical dependency recovery hospitals
- Clinics and doctor’s offices (including behavioral health, surgical)
- Congregate living health facilities
- Dialysis centers
- Hospice facilities
- Pediatric day health and respite care facilities
- Residential substance use treatment and mental health treatment facilities
The CDPH booster mandate for health care facilities extends to all individuals—both paid and unpaid—who are in indoor settings where (1) care is provided to patients or (2) patients have access for any purpose. This includes workers who may not be directly employed by the facility, but who are providing care on site at one of the covered facilities, as well as persons not directly involved in delivering health care, but who could be exposed to infectious agents that can be transmitted in the health care setting (e.g., clerical, dietary, environmental services, laundry, security, engineering and facilities management, administrative, billing, and volunteer personnel).
For more information: