COVID-19 vaccine may soon be available at a higher cost to consumers, as the US government plans to phase out the program that allows for no out-of-pocket costs for shots.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Pfizer and Moderna could charge up to $130 for a single dose of their COVID vaccine.
End Of Free COVID-19 Vaccine Program
The US government currently pays around $30 for one dose, but funding for their distribution program is set to expire in 2023, and demand for COVID vaccines in the US has also decreased.
“Our goal is to transition procurement and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics from a federally managed system to the commercial marketplace in a thoughtful, well-coordinated manner that leaves no one behind,” Dawn O’Connell, the US Department of Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response, stated last fall.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the chairman of the US Senate Health Committee, slammed the possibility that the two major vaccine manufacturers in the US (Pfizer and Moderna) begin offsetting the cost to consumers.
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the chairman of the US Senate Health Committee, slammed the possibility that the two major vaccine manufacturers in the US (Pfizer and Moderna) begin offsetting the cost to consumers.
So, how do $130 COVID shots stack up against existing vaccines? According to vaccine prices listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a single dose would far outweigh several vaccines:
Flu shots cost between $14 and $28, and tetanus shots cost between $17 and $50. Furthermore, the price for measles, mumps, and rubella ranges from $23 to $90 for packages of multiple doses.
Time will tell which insurers will cover the majority of COVID vaccine costs; at that point, consumers can shop around for the coverage that meets their needs.
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Who Should Be Vaccinated?
COVID-19 is caused by a virus that first appeared in late 2019. Normally, developing a vaccine for a new virus takes years, but scientists were given a boost by research on similar coronaviruses that cause SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
According to experts, this coronavirus could become seasonal, similar to colds and the flu. It is critical to have a vaccine to help control it.
The vaccine was first given to healthcare workers and the elderly. However, after the vaccines were successfully mass-produced and distributed, they were made available to a larger population.
The CDC recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months gets vaccinated against COVID-19. Everyone over the age of 5 should also get a COVID-19 booster if they are eligible.
The vaccines are safe for pregnant women, according to the CDC, and there is no evidence that they are harmful to a fetus. Adverse allergic reactions to some of the vaccines have been reported, but these are extremely rare.
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