Azenett Valdez/THE RIDER
Hidalgo County and the UT Health RGV Student Health Center officials say they will buy the updated COVID-19 vaccine and make it available for residents and the university community, respectively.
Eduardo “Eddie” Olivarez, chief administrative officer for the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services department, said the monovalent COVID vaccine has been approved.
“It’s been put on sale,” Olivarez said. “Hidalgo County has not received it yet. We’re going to be buying some and making that available.”
Glenn Rick Gray, director of Health Services at UTRGV, said, “We’re in a back order right now and we’re on a waitlist.”
“When it’s available, we will have it for students and employees, of course,” Gray said.
In a news release issued Sept. 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that “everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes,” of the illness for fall and winter.
Olivarez said the price of the vaccine is expensive.
“To give you an idea, a flu vaccine is about $24 a dose,” he said. “This is $100 a dose.”
The Rider asked how much the vaccine will cost students and faculty.
“We don’t know for sure because the state is still debating over whether they’re going to help fund these,” Gray said. “If we have to buy it with no subsidies, it’s going to be expensive and the cost is prohibitive.”
He said that the UT Health RGV Student Health Center will have it available for students and on the employee health side as well.
The Rider called the Walgreens pharmacy on Central Boulevard in Brownsville last Thursday and was told the updated COVID-19 vaccine is available by appointment at most Walgreens in the Rio Grande Valley.
The newspaper also called the CVS pharmacy on Ruben M. Torres Boulevard in Brownsville and was told the location currently has the updated vaccines by appointment through the app or its website.
The CSV y Más pharmacy on Alton Gloor Boulevard said it had run out and due to limited supplies, most of the CVS pharmacies in the Brownsville area have been running out. They are not sure when the next shipment will arrive.
According to the CDC’s website, the vaccines are covered by insurance, including private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid plans.
Uninsured children and adults have access through the Vaccine for Children Program and the Bridge Access Program, according to the CDC website.
The CDC’s Bridge Access Program provides no-cost COVID-19 vaccines to adults without health insurance or whose insurance does not cover all COVID-19 vaccine costs.
“No-cost COVID-19 vaccines through this program will be available until Dec. 31, 2024,” according to its website.
The program is said to be a temporary “bridge” to a permanent Vaccines for Adults program proposed in the Presidential Budget in both Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024. This has not yet been enacted into law, according to the CDC news release.
Olivarez said there will be a fee for Hidalgo County residents who do not have insurance, Medicaid or Medicare.
“And we’re trying to figure out the cost right now,” he said.
Gray said that for members of the UTRGV community who cannot afford the vaccine, the county health departments usually have clinics where they will support the vaccines, as well as other low-income clinics in the area.
He also said students do not have to pay out of pocket for the vaccine.
“I mean, we always post your charges to your student account,” Gray said. “And then students can pay there when they have the funds to do so.”
The CDC has amended “existing Increasing Community Access to Testing program contracts with CVS, Walgreens and eTrueNorth to offer vaccinations services in areas with low-coverage and access,” according to its news release.
The Rider tried to contact Esmeralda Guajardo, the Cameron County health administrator, but as of last Thursday, she had not returned calls.
The agency will also “ship and fund administration of vaccines to public health providers designated by state and local health departments, which could include more than 1,400 Health Resources and Services Administration-supported health centers and 12,000 other vaccine providers,” the news release states.
The Rider asked some UTRGV students if they have received any vaccines or boosters for COVID-19.
“I did receive some,” said Jackeline Gutierrez, a biomedical science junior. “If I’m not mistaken, about a year ago, I received my last booster vaccine.”
Gutierrez said she would get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
“If my insurance covers it, I would be down to getting a booster just to help my immune system fight off COVID,” she said.
Diana Sofia Martinez, a nursing freshman, said she received both the vaccine and booster.
Martinez was asked if she would consider getting the new annual vaccine.
“Yeah, for sure, just in case, because I believe they do actually help,” she said.
Gray said the university works closely with county and state health departments to watch the incident rates for illnesses.
“Hopefully, the vaccine will be available soon where we can get it out to our students and staff and faculty,” he said.
The updated vaccines “should work well against currently circulating variants of COVID-19, including BA.2.86, and continue to be the best way to protect yourself against severe disease,” according to the CDC website.
