When will updated COVID-19 booster come to Tennessee: What we know

The Food and Drug Administration this week approved an updated booster shot for COVID-19 aimed at new variants now circulating across the country.

The variants have led to a recent uptick in cases and hospitalizations.

The updated vaccines, manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, were designed to target the omicron variant XBB.1.5, the dominant U.S. strain this spring and summer. That variant is now a declining one in the southeast region that includes Tennessee, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is also expected to protect against the now-dominant Omicron variant, EG.5, according to the FDA.

The booster is approved for people 12 and older and is authorized under emergency use for those six months through 11 years of age. A federal advisory panel on Tuesday recommended that everyone should get the updated shots.

When will the booster be available?

The vaccines are expected to roll out across the country this week. When will they be available in Tennessee? That's not exactly clear.

Dean Flener, spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Health, said he expects the shots to be available in this state "sometime this month." Matt Peters, spokesman for the Metro Nashville Public Health Department put in an order for booster shots on Tuesday, shortly after the federal panel approved their use.

"In the past," Peters said, "it's been delivered in a week."

CVS Pharmacies are expected to begin receiving the vaccines later this week. Walgreens is expected to start taking appointments for shots on Sept. 18.

How much will the boosters cost?

They could be potentially expensive for the uninsured, though federal assistance will make them free to most through 2024.

Pfizer and Moderna have set the cost between $120 and $130, according to recent reports. On Tuesday, Pfizer told government regulators it set the price at $120 per dose, Reuters reported. The company previously announced plans to sell the boosters between $110 and $130 per shot. Moderna will sell them at $129 per shot.

The good news is that insurance is expected to cover the cost of the shots. And federally qualified health centers are also working with state and local health agencies to provide the shots free of charge.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Bridge Access Program" will also provide vaccines for free for the uninsured for a limited time this fall. Free vaccines will not be available after December 2024, however, according to the CDC.

Who should get the booster shots?

The FDA has approved an updated version of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people 12 and older and has authorized emergency use of that vaccine in children ages 6 months through 11 years. It also approved an updated version of the Moderna vaccine for people 18 years and older.

CDC officials this week recommended that every person 6 months and older get a booster shot to protect against new variants. Vaccines remain the best way to protect against COVID-related hospitalization and death, according to the CDC. Vaccines also reduce the chances of getting Long COVID, a condition that includes symptoms that persist for weeks or months after COVID-19 passes.

Those at highest risk for complications from COVID-19 include older adults, infants and toddlers, those with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, the obese, and those with certain chronic illnesses.

"(The Metro Public Health Department) recommends all those six months and older strongly consider receiving the new booster, especially those who are at high risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19," Peters said. "We encourage anyone who has questions or concerns about their own personal health and the impact the vaccine might have on it to speak to their primary care provider."

Frank Gluck is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FrankGluck.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: COVID-19: Where and when to get updated booster in TN, what we know