Gov. Gavin Newsom visits Kern to tout second booster dose

May 18—Gov. Gavin Newsom received his second Moderna COVID-19 booster shot Wednesday at the Clinica Sierra Vista Comprehensive Care Center in Bakersfield and urged Californians to get their vaccinations, amid a statewide rise in coronavirus cases.

After Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, administered Newsom's inoculation, the governor said residents' waning immunity is not of concern, but should be monitored. Health experts have said the protection offered from the vaccines can lessen over time.

Newsom added that he hopes his visit to Kern County bolsters efforts to reach underserved communities.

"I love Kern County," Newsom said, when asked why he decided to get his vaccine here. He noted times are stressful for many amid high inflation, burdensome gas prices and stress accumulated from living through a pandemic.

Ghaly characterized the current trend of COVID-19 cases as a "slow boil," or a gradual increase in case numbers, which could lead to more hospitalizations. A conflux of new variants and the forgoing of boosters and vaccines could be a cause for concern, he added.

"I'm worried that we're going to see a real increase ... because individuals who had good protection earlier in the summer ... are now seeing themselves getting infected," Ghaly said.

Vaccines offer a "blanket of protection," allowing Californians to return to normalcy and not have to miss life's key moments, he added.