Health officials are recommending that everyone older than 6 months get either the updated Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the Monroe County Health Department, children 6 months to four years old who haven't had the vaccine yet should get two doses of the updated Moderna shot. Or they should get three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech.
Read more: Uptick in COVID numbers in Indiana mirrors national trend
Nationally, the booster rollout has been inconsistent and it’s not always clear where the shot is available. Wednesday, only one of seven CVS pharmacies in Bloomington report availability online. That’s the one in Target on East Third Street.
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Director of environmental health and safety at IU Graham McKeen said since the federal public health emergency ended, people might have to work harder to find availability and insurance groups have been slow to get the boosters in their systems.
“And maybe places where people went to get prior vaccines are now no longer in network for their insurance provider," he said. "And so that has been another hang up as well, because they were previously covered under the public health emergency.”
Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance all will cover the booster, McKeen said. And the Centers For Disease Control’s Bridge Access program will cover the booster’s cost at participating health facilities for uninsured people.
“So you might want to do some preliminary research in terms of where you're going and make sure it's properly covered for you. And getting it maybe two or three weeks from now might provide you a better peak protection over the winter, which we expect another wave of viral activity.”
The Monroe County Health clinic will receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine October 9 and start administering it to the public at 333 E. Miller Dr. The department’s announcement said the vaccine won’t cost anyone bout of pocket, but insurance will be billed for those who have it.
