Baltimore Health Department receives first supply of COVID vaccines; free for uninsured, people whose insurance don’t cover shot

The updated COVID-19 vaccine will be available for free starting Friday for Baltimore adults without health insurance and those whose health insurance doesn’t fully cover the cost of the new shot.

The Baltimore City Health Department announced Thursday that it received its first supply of the new COVID vaccine from the federal government’s Bridge Access Program, which provides shots at no-cost to the 25 to 30 million adults without health insurance.

While the rise in COVID-related hospitalizations appears to have leveled off in Maryland during the past few weeks, a winter respiratory virus surge is likely to arrive sometime after Thanksgiving, Dr. Gregory Schrank, an epidemiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, told The Baltimore Sun last month.

Unlike the last updated COVID vaccine, which protected against two variants of the virus, the newest shot was designed to target the omicron variant, XBB.1.5. Studies also indicate the shots protect against the widely circulated “Eris” variant, now the most dominant strain the country.

“COVID infections and hospitalizations are on the rise, making it imperative that Baltimore residents get the new vaccine,” the city’s Acting Health Commissioner Mary Beth Haller said in Thursday’s news release. “That is because the new COVID vaccine is the only vaccine developed to protect from the current, dominant strain that has proven more transmissible.

“For this reason, the Baltimore City Health Department will continue to vaccinate as many Baltimoreans as possible — at no cost — especially the uninsured & underinsured, and those who are most vulnerable to severe infection, like seniors, the immunocompromised, and those from underserved communities.”

Starting this week, homebound Baltimoreans can schedule an in-home vaccination appointment by calling (443) 984-8650. Walk-in hours at the city health department’s immunization clinic at 1200 E. Fayette St. will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday for those who are uninsured or have insurance that doesn’t fully cover the shot’s price.

The health department said in the release it does not yet have vaccines for children, but it plans to distribute them as soon as they are available.

After the public health emergency ended in May, the federal government is no longer offering COVID-19 vaccines for free to everyone. However, most insurance plans — including Medicaid and Medicare — fully cover the cost of the vaccines. CVS and Walgreens also each offer the vaccine at no cost, according to Thursday’s news release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months or older get the new vaccine, regardless of whether they’ve been inoculated previously against the virus. People who have been vaccinated recently should wait two months before getting the shot, and those who have been infected recently can wait three months — or get the vaccine as soon as they’re feeling better.

The city health department said in the news release that it continues to host COVID clinics with local schools, churches, nonprofits and senior centers. It also continues to offer free take-home tests at various sites around the city, including at some local libraries. For locations and availability, visit www.prattlibrary.org/services/at-home-covid-19-tests.

Originally Published: Oct 05, 2023 at 2:37 pm