The next COVID booster shot may be just weeks away. What to know about cost, timing

It has been nearly a year since the first COVID-19 booster shot was released.

Now, a new vaccine may be only weeks away.

Pfizer, the pharmaceutical giant responsible for developing several COVID-19 vaccines throughout the pandemic, says it is close to obtaining approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new booster shot.

The new vaccine is formulated to protect against a widespread strain of the highly contagious omicron variant known as XBB.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the XBB lineage was dominant across the country until the end of July, but that several new subvariants are now gaining traction.

The shot will have a retail price of over $100 per dose for those without insurance — over four times what the company’s past COVID-19 vaccines cost. But health insurance and a new federal program may both be able to get patients the new shot for free.

Here’s what to know about the forthcoming COVID-19 booster shot.

When will the new booster shot be available?

The new boosters are expected to become available this fall — although the exact timing of the rollout is still unknown.

Pfizer and its German affiliate BioNTech filed their application for FDA approval of the new booster on June 23. Pfizer CEO Bourla told investors a week later that he expected to have approval “by the end of August.”

“The vaccinations, with the new (booster), would start in September, hopefully,” he added. “We are ready with products already now, so the production will not be an issue.”

A note on the company’s website states that it will be ready to ship the new boosters “immediately” once regulators approve the vaccine.

Earlier this month, CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen told NPR that the shots would likely reach patients “in the early October time frame.”

How much will the new booster shot cost?

Pfizer’s media relations team told The Star that the new booster shot could cost over $100 for those without health insurance or government assistance.

“The commercial list price is expected to be $110-$130 per single-dose vial,” the company wrote in an email Tuesday. “Pfizer has priced the vaccine to ensure the price is consistent with the value delivered and with the goal of uninterrupted access for every American.”

The company added that it expects most patients to pay nothing out of pocket for the booster. But those without insurance may be stuck with a hefty bill for the shot if they don’t qualify for the company’s assistance program.

Pfizer’s first contract with the federal government in July of 2020 priced its COVID-19 vaccine at just $19.50 per dose. The price then rose to $24 per dose in July of 2021, and then to $30.48 per dose in June of 2022. The increase to around $110 earlier this year was by far the steepest increase the company has made to a COVID-19 vaccine.

In an attempt to get the new vaccine to the estimated 25-30 million uninsured adults in the U.S, the CDC will introduce a new vaccine program this fall as the federal government’s distribution program ends.

The Bridge Access Program aims to provide free vaccines to uninsured adults through community health clinics and pharmacies.

But as of mid-August, the government was still negotiating with large pharmacy chains like CVS, Walgreens and eTrueNorth — leading some to speculate that the program will not be ready by the time the new boosters roll out this fall.

Who can get the new booster shot?

Pfizer’s application for the new booster shot requests FDA authorization for everyone aged 6 months and older. If the agency grants approval, the booster will be approved for the entire population aside from infants under 6 months.

However, the CDC has stated that only those who have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 are eligible for booster shots. We don’t know yet whether those who did not receive a bivalent booster shot last year will be eligible for the new booster shot this fall.

Cohen announced late last month that the CDC will likely issue guidance in the fall advising all Americans to get yearly COVID-19 booster shots to stay protected from evolving variants of the disease.

Do you have more questions about the new COVID-19 booster shot? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.