Written by L. M. Land
You do want the new vaccine, which carries a currently circulating strain of the COVID-19 virus. This virus has already mutated to bypass the first vaccine. From now on, the COVID vaccine will be like the flu vaccine in that it will need to be updated every year; viruses change that often.
We are not going to see a lot of the pop-up clinics for the COVID vaccine, because your medical insurance needs to be billed for the cost. Medical billing is quite involved, and the facility must be approved by the insurer. However, you will still see flu vaccine pop-up locations.
Currently, Walgreens , Rite Aid and Kroger Walmart, and Sam’s Club,are administering the vaccines. Because vaccine production is catching up to national demand, some sites will run out temporarily.
You can also check the website: https://www.vaccines.gov/, which will find vaccines in your zip code.
Many medical clinics are also administering the vaccine. For example, the Hamilton Health System is administering to their patients but not to walk-ins. Check with your doctor’s office to see if they are administering the vaccine.
You might also want to check with your insurance plan to see where they prefer you to go. Some insurances pay for immunizations at pharmacies but not at the doctor’s office, so double check. The price you would pay if you get it at the wrong place is about $110-150.
The Genesee County Health Department web site is still out of date. It states that “Bivalent COVID-19 booster doses are now available for ages 5+!” THIS IS NO LONGER TRUE, THE CURRENT VACCINE IS A MONOVALENT, meaning only one strain of the virus is in the vaccine. They may not be able to administer the vaccine as they are not set up to do insurance billing.
Do you know where to get the COVID vaccines? Please share it with the Courier at TheFlintCourierNews@gmail.com.
