Local residents who have reported problems finding the just-approved new COVID-19 vaccines, now have two options. Houston-area CVS and Walgreens pharmacies have the vaccines for COVID and RSV in supply as well as flu shots, but patients may have to wait on appointment availability at certain locations.
As of Wednesday, however, several other facilities are still awaiting the new COVID vaccines.
The updated COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna are available at no additional cost at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, as they are part of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention ‘s Bridge Access Program. This program provides COVID-19 related vaccines at no cost to adults who either do not have health insurance or whose insurance does not cover these vaccines.
Most private health insurance plans cover the updated COVID-19 vaccines, as the Affordable Care Act requires. However, health plans established before the act may not provide coverage. People with this older health insurance may want to go to these local pharmacies instead to avoid high costs.
According to Porfirio Villarreal, a public information officer at the Houston Health Department, the city’s four health centers expect to receive the updated COVID vaccines sometime next week. They will also provide this year’s flu shot for adults by next week and for children by the end of this week, but not the RSV vaccine. Instead, these centers will distribute nirsevimab, a new monoclonal antibody injection for treatment against RSV in newborns and infants under two years old, which will be available from them in early October.
After recently hitting the tail end of last month’s COVID-19 spike, Dr. David Persse, Houston’s public health authority, said Wednesday it is a good time for residents to consider vaccinating against that virus and others – including RSV or respiratory syncytial virus and influenza – as “virus season” or the early fall and winter months approach.
“People have to remember that when you get your vaccine, it takes about two weeks before the immunity builds in your system,” Persse said.
This is the first “virus season” in which vaccines against all three viruses will be made available to the public.
According to Persse, vaccination will protect against these viruses as they are currently detected in the city’s wastewater viral loads and ahead of expected increases in cases around November and December.
Unlike past boosters, the updated COVID-19 vaccines approved by the CDC last week are “monovalent” mRNA vaccines and are meant to protect against one variant, an earlier dominant subvariant of Omicron, XBB.1.5.
Initial reports also indicate that these updated vaccines should increase immunity against newer COVID-19 variants, EG.5 and BA.2.86.
The CDC said all those older than six months are eligible for the new vaccines and those five years and older should receive at least one dosage. Per CDC guidelines, the number of doses varies depending on the patient’s age.
According to the CDC, those who qualify for all three vaccines may opt to take them in a single appointment, and it is safe to do so. Persse recommended that patients choose two to get at once but said it was ultimately up to the patient to decide.
“I get one in one arm and one in the other,” he said. “Then, I’ll wait about two weeks before I get the next one.”
Dr. Michael Chang, pediatric infectious diseases expert with UTHealth Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann, said nirsevimab, is 60 to 70 percent effective in mitigating RSV symptoms in youth to prevent visiting their pediatrician or, if more severe, the emergency room.
“We saw during last year’s RSV season, 24-hour wait times in emergency rooms, ICUs were full, there were no beds in children’s hospitals,” Chang said. “If you could take about 60 percent of those patients and remove them from the system because they didn’t need to go into the hospital or to see a pediatrician, imagine the impact that could have on the healthcare system.”
Although nirsevimab is not a vaccine, Chang said, it has been added to the Vaccines for Children Program – a federally funded program – to ensure that it will come at no cost for children who qualify for the program.
Chang said distribution of this treatment is expected in early-to-mid October, as there are still ongoing discussions to understand the logistics of supplying this drug to inpatient and outpatient providers.
Additionally, there are still some complications as to how private insurance companies will handle coverage of this medication – as it has to be covered by private health plans because it is included in the federal program, he said.
Availability doesn’t just vary for nirsevimab; as Persse said, distribution among the three vaccines can fluctuate as some commercial pharmaceutical companies – such as CVS and Walgreens – are receiving these vaccines first, and other public health facilities are getting their shipments shortly after.
According to Villarreal, if residents need information regarding access to the RSV vaccine or any other vaccines immediately, they can call the Houston Health Department’s call center at 832-393-4220.
Houston Health Department’s Health Centers:
La Nueva Casa de Amigos Health Center
1809 North Main St., 77009 Monday: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Thursday: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Northside Health Center
8504 Schuller Rd., 77093
Monday: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Thursday: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Sharpstown Health Services
6201 Bonhomme Rd., 77036
Monday: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Thursday: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center
4410 Reed Rd., 77051
Monday: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
