Now that the updated COVID-19 shots have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, major pharmacy chains are starting to schedule patients for the vaccines.
The shots are approved for almost all Americans over the age of 6 months.
CVS said the new shots are now available in some pharmacies, with more locations receiving stock of the new vaccines in the coming weeks. CVS said it expects to have stock of the vaccines available at all locations by early next week.
Pharmacists will administer vaccines to people ages 5 and older. Patients can sign up for the shot CVS website. CVS MinuteClinic locations will offer the shot for all eligible age groups.
Walgreens said patients can now begin scheduling vaccine appointments. Administration of vaccines for all shops will start from Monday.
Walgreens said some stores may begin offering the vaccine as early as Monday as inventory arrives at locations. Walgreens said it will vaccinate all eligible individuals.
Like CVS, Walgreens allows patients to Book Appointment Online.
Generally, COVID-19 vaccines are covered by insurance. People who are uninsured can get a COVID-19 vaccine for free through the government’s Bridge Access program. Through the program, the government will pay pharmacies per dose to facilitate COVID-19 shots at no charge to uninsured people.
Approximately 21,000 pharmacies, including 10,000 CVS and 9,000 Walgreens locations, are part of the Bridge Access program. Although it is not active yet, vaccines.gov will allow individuals Searching for participating providers who administer the shots.
The new vaccines aim to provide protection against the latest variants of the virus. Last year’s bivalent COVID-19 booster is now considered obsolete and off the market.
Following FDA authorization, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13-1 to recommend the shot for all Americans older than 6 months.