After its recent FDA approval, the CDC recommended everyone six months and older get an updated COVID vaccine. But getting it hasn’t been easy for some Oklahomans, with appointments canceled day of due to insurance snags and issues finding a place that carries it.
It’s a trend that’s not unique to Oklahoma during the first vaccine rollout where the federal government isn’t purchasing and distributing shots.
Erika Fuller from Edmond wanted to get vaccinated along with her husband and 20-month-old because her father, who’s going through chemotherapy, is coming to visit in late October. She said she’s doing everything to minimize risk to him, especially after several confirmed COVID-19 cases at her daughter’s daycare.
Fuller said she received a text from CVS on Sept. 16, the day of her and her husband's appointment, saying Blue Cross Blue Shield declined her coverage. She got a call from a representative apologizing a week later.
“They had about, I think she said, over 1,000 folks on the plan that had been declined coverage for the vaccines that week before they had had a chance to fix their system,” Fuller said.
Without insurance, shots can cost around $120-130.
Matt Blanchette, a CVS spokesperson, said in an email CVS is receiving updated COVID-19 vaccines on a rolling basis but is experiencing delivery delays from wholesalers. Although, he wrote, CVS has seen significant progress with insurers updating their systems.
Jennifer Cotto Johnson, a spokesperson for Walgreens, said in an email the updated vaccines are available nationwide to eligible individuals. She wrote patients are encouraged to schedule an appointment in advance, and the Walgreens app will update to reflect availability.
But as Fuller tried to schedule an appointment for her daughter, she said she ran into roadblocks.
Fuller said her pediatrician doesn’t carry the child dose, and pharmacy chains like Walgreens don’t vaccinate kids under three. She also scoured the federal government’s vaccine locator with no luck finding local options — even at nearby health departments.
The Comanche County Health Department, for example, is listed on the federal government’s site as offering vaccinations to kids six months and older. But, this week, a representative said it doesn’t have the vaccine in stock and referred out to local pharmacies.
“So, this time around, I have not found anywhere to get her vaccinated because nobody is carrying the updated vaccine, or the people that are carrying it are not vaccinating children under three years old,” Fuller said.
COVID-19 hospitalizations among children are on the rise again. In the past three months, the number of children with confirmed COVID-19 at hospital admission has increased by nearly five-fold in the U.S., from 237 new admissions on June 17 to 1,175 a month ago.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health offers free COVID-19 vaccines to adults who are underinsured or have no insurance through the federal Bridge Access Program, which operates through December 2024. Children in that same situation can also receive a free vaccination through the Vaccines for Children Program.
But children with private insurance that covers the vaccine’s cost, like Fuller’s daughter, don't qualify, leaving little to no options. Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Personal Health Jackie Kanak said health departments benefit from more resources than some pharmacies and pediatric offices.
“We're able to carry [the] vaccine for different populations depending on [the] insurance carrier or no insurance, [or] underinsured. And also, it's kind of split up between adult and pediatrics,” Kanak said. “So, I think it's been tough for some locations that don't have that upfront money to purchase a lot of [the] vaccine and then carry it.”
So is it worth it to schedule an appointment for a vaccine that has caused these headaches? Dr. Dale Bratzler, OU’s dean for the College of Public Health, said yes.
The vaccine targets the Omicron subvariant XBB. 1.5, which Bratzler said accounts for the vast majority of new cases in Oklahoma this year.
“The new vaccine should give you good protection against the variants that are circulating currently, and that’s why the FDA is recommending it and did authorize it,” Bratzler said.
Oklahoma has seen an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the past month, but the most up-to-date CDC data from two weeks ago shows rates decreasing, with 161 people being hospitalized.
Although fewer people are getting severely ill because of COVID-19, Bratzler said he worries about older people getting sick. He said even if you're young and have a lower risk of severe symptoms, you can still spread the virus to someone more susceptible.
“If we really want to get this disease under control in this country so we see fewer hospitalizations, fewer deaths — the more people that we have that are running around with immunity, the less disease we’re going to see,” Bratzler said.
Looking into the future, Bratzler said he hopes to see a universal vaccine for COVID-19, which would teach the immune system to defend against all versions of the virus — even ones that don’t exist yet. Progress toward that is underway, but he said he hesitates to estimate a timeline, as such a thing still doesn’t exist for older viruses like the flu and RSV.
But in the meantime, Oklahomans like Fuller said they are disappointed it’s been such a challenge to access the vaccine.
“You know, I'd like to be able to take all the steps I can to protect my dad,” Fuller said. "So we're just working with what we've got."
For help booking an appointment, contact the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s immunization services.
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