Should you get the newest COVID booster? How much does it cost? 6 things to know

Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·4 min read
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The newest COVID-19 booster came out in September and since then, more than 7 million Americans have gotten the vaccine.

That's a tiny fraction of the U.S. population, which the Census estimated at more than 334 million of Jan. 1.

Should you get the booster, especially as we enter the holiday season which has historically seen a spike in the number of cases?

And will the vaccine cost you?

Here are answers to your questions.

What is the newest COVID booster?

The updated booster shot is formulated to target XBB.1.5, an omicron subvariant.

While that variant is no longer in circulation, studies suggest the vaccine released in September will still prevent severe disease from other omicron variants out there now, including EG.5, FL.1.5.1, HV.1 and XBB.1.16.6.

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Who needs to get the new COVID booster?

The Centers for Disease Control recommends:

  • Everyone aged 5 years and older should get one dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. None of the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines is preferred over another.

  • Children aged 5-11 who are unvaccinated or have previously got a COVID-19 vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

  • People aged 12 years and older who are unvaccinated should get either:

    • 1updated Pfizer-BioNTech or updated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, OR

    • 2 doses of updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.

  • People aged 12 years and older who got COVID-19 vaccines before Sept. 12, 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.

  • People aged 12 years and older who have not previously gotten any COVID-19 vaccine doses and choose to get Novavax should get two doses of updated Novavax vaccine to be up to date.

What are the differences between Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax COVID vaccines?

  • Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA vaccines.

    • mRNA vaccines use mRNA created in a laboratory to teach cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response.

  • Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is a protein subunit vaccine.

    • This vaccine contains proteins of the virus that causes COVID-19. It teaches the immune system how to respond to that spike protein to protect against COVID-19.

  • J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, a viral vector vaccine, has expired and is no longer available for use in the United States as of May 2023.

What to know about COVID booster: Should you get a COVID booster? Here are 7 things to consider.

Where can you get the COVID booster?

To find a site closest to you, enter your zip code and the type of vaccine you'd like to get into this CDC website.

Local pharmacies — including CVS, Walgreens, Publix, Sam's Club and Walmart — are listed. You'll be able to check availability and book an appointment online.

Is the COVID vaccine free?

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are available to most adults living in the U.S. at no cost through their private health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid plans, according to the CDC.

For people without health insurance or policies that don't cover the vaccines, CDC’s Bridge Access Program provides free COVID-19 vaccines.

Children eligible for the Vaccines for Children program also may receive the vaccine from a provider enrolled in that program.

What is the CDC Bridge Access Program?

Can't see the document? Open in a new browser window.

The Bridge Access Program launched in September to provide free coverage for the estimated 25-30 million adults who would have otherwise lost access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines.

The government's federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration expired in May, shifting the distribution of vaccines to the commercial market, according to the CDC.

Administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the more than $1 billion program is a public-private partnership designed to provide COVID-19 care to the un-insured at local pharmacies through existing public health infrastructures and at local health centers.

CDC has contracted with more than 20,000 retail pharmacy locations nationwide to provide cost-free COVID-19 vaccines to people without insurance or whose insurance requires a co-pay for in-network coverage.

The Bridge Access Program is a temporary program and is scheduled to end in December 2024.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: COVID-19 booster: CVS, Walgreens, Publix availability and cost