COVID-19 News

  • Last Thursday, the CDC approved and recommended a reformulated booster dose, available to anyone 12 years and older. Here’s a few key talking points that may help guide your conversations with community members as you encourage them to stay up-to-date with vaccination against COVID-19:

    • Getting the new booster is especially important because its composition is different from previous boosters: The new booster is bivalent, meaning that it builds immunity against the original coronavirus strain AND BA.4 and BA.5 – the currently circulating, dominant omicron subvariants.

    • Getting the new booster can help prevent surges in cases in fall and winter.

    • Anyone 12 years and older who has received their primary series of vaccines against COVID-19 can get an updated Pfizer booster, and anyone 18 and older who has received their primary series of vaccines against COVID-19 can get an updated Moderna booster. You do not need to have previous boosters to get the updated booster.

    • A person is eligible for a booster if their last vaccination against COVID-19 was at least two months prior to receiving the updated booster.

    • Updated vaccines are becoming available this week, and CDM is working with local and state health departments to ensure that we include any vaccination clinic opportunities in our upcoming weekly updates. Many localities have stopped offering the older version of the booster and may still be awaiting the arrival of updated boosters, so we suggest communicating with the clinic before you go or schedule an appointment to verify that the updated booster is available.

    • The new bivalent booster is not yet authorized for children ages 5 to 11 years old, but they can still receive the previous version of the booster. If an updated booster is authorized for this age group, we’ll let you know!
  • CDM’s Summer-themed COVID-19 & vaccination campaign materials and the Novavax flyer developed by Tri Community mediation are now available in Haitian Creole on our Health Within Our Reach website! Check out the English & Spanish versions of the website for the same materials previously published in those languages.
  • The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) compiled a Toolkit for Schools and School Partners to help organizations plan for and promote COVID-19 vaccination and awareness amidst the return to classrooms.

Opportunities
  • Join our new WhatsApp Group! Are you a community or digital organizer or are you in charge of your organization’s social media? Join our chat to  exchange information, content, opportunities, experiences, and advice so that we can help each other in our work. NOTE: The group is exclusively for people who work for PPP partner organizations. Join here.
  • Legal Aid Justice Center has several open positions, including leadership positions, administrative opportunities, and attorney openings.
  • Sur Legal Collaborative is hiring a Legal Director and an Operations Manager. Both of the positions are remote and can be performed from anywhere in the United States.

State Level Data Overview

COVID-19 vaccination rates by state

COVID-19 case rates per 100K people by state

State Snapshots

Delaware

  • Over 430 households who are utilizing pandemic-related motel vouchers that were set to expire on August 31 will be permitted to maintain their housing for another 30 days. Individuals experiencing housing insecurity can call 302-434-3340, a pandemic emergency shelter program support hotline, on weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

COVID-19 vaccination rates by county

COVID-19 case rates per 100K people by county

Maryland

  • The Dorchester County Department of Public Health will be hosting a Hispanic Heritage Health and Wellness event on Friday, September 16 from 3 to 6 PM at the corner of Race and Cedar Streets in Cambridge. The event will include free food, face painting, and COVID-19 vaccinations. The updated booster dose for those 12 years and older will be available at the event.
  • Check out Dorchester County’s September clinic schedules. COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters are available at the Health Department and at various community locations, and those who are 12 years and older and eligible for a booster can receive the updated booster targeting omicron subvariants.

COVID-19 vaccination rates by county

COVID-19 case rates per 100K people by county

Virginia

  • To find a COVID-19 booster targeted at omicron subvariants, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 757-787-5880, Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM.

COVID-19 vaccination rates by county

COVID-19 case rates per 100K people by county

North Carolina

  • The North Carolina Justice Center, a PPP partner, has updated information available regarding the Public Charge Rule, which changed in 2021. Their updated flyers, available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and French, explain that pandemic-related one-time financial assistance and COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination do NOT affect immigration status or related applications.

COVID-19 vaccination rates by county

COVID-19 case rates per 100K people by county

South Carolina

  • While the federal government’s free at-home COVID-19 test delivery through the U.S. Postal Service ended last Friday, South Carolinians can continue to pick up free at-home tests at locations throughout the state! Just use this COVID-19 testing locator, scroll down and check the box for “At-Home Testing,” and find a location near you with at-home tests available for pick up.

COVID-19 vaccination rates by county

COVID-19 case rates per 100K people by county

Georgia

  • Many vaccination sites in Georgia, including those operated by CORE Georgia and the DeKalb County Board of Health, will not be offering boosters for individuals 12 years and older until the new, updated boosters from Pfizer and Modern are in stock and available, likely in mid-September. We will continue to provide information on booster availability in future weekly updates.

COVID-19 vaccination rates by county

COVID-19 case rates per 100K people by county
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