SAN FRANCISCO– It’s time to get your Cervid-19 booster, but many uninsured people are finding it a lot harder to get the shot this year.
What used to be free now costs over a hundred dollars.
Over the weekend, hundreds of people lined up at 24th Street in San Francisco’s Mission District to get their free COVID-19 booster shots. Only 200 successfully made it to the front of the line.
“We turned away over 300 people from getting the vaccine this weekend. The need and the demand are definitely there – unfortunately the supply is what we don’t have,” said Susana Rojas, spokesperson for Unidos en Salud.
The reality is that COVID-19 vaccines are now less accessible to people without insurance. This year’s booster can cost $130 to $140.
“Is this capitalism, or is this all just an arrangement, because to be honest, I don’t know why they’re so expensive. With the investments these companies have received from taxpayer dollars to develop the vaccines through Operation Warp Speed and beyond – we should not have them be this expensive,” said Dr Monica Gandhi, UCSF Infectious Diseases.
According to Dr Gandhi’s research, these vaccines do not currently cost much to produce.
“About $25 per shot, so this is quite a price increase. Five times,” Dr Gandhi said.
At Mission Wellness Pharmacy, the owner is seeing first-hand the setbacks many are now facing.
“Some of the restrictions would be – would their insurance allow them to get the vaccine here; if a patient is insured, can they come to Mission Wellness to get the vaccine?” said Maria Lopez, owner of Mission Wellness Pharmacy. “Some insurance companies require their patients to go to certain places.”
We met Odera Okafor as she waited in line for her COVID booster appointment at Walgreens. She was shocked to learn of the current price and was concerned about the equity aspect.
“I didn’t know about the price if you don’t have health insurance. I think that’s a little wild,” Okafor said.
If you don’t have insurance, the federal Bridge Access Program provides COVID-19 vaccines free of charge, but not all pharmacies participate in this program. Dr Gandhi is concerned that not many people are aware of this option.
“When they ended the public health emergency on May 11, 2024, there was a promise made by this government that we would have continued access to vaccinate under- and uninsured patients until September 2024,” said Dr Gandhi, “That’s not always being met and I’m really concerned about that for uninsured patients.”
Dr Gandhi broke down who should be vaccinated: “The WHO and most organisations say those who are elderly, those on immunosuppressants and those with multiple comorbidities. I would encourage these groups to get vaccinated.
