The Cambridge Public Health Department will offer updated influenza and Covid vaccine at five large public clinics in October, much the same as last fall. Most health insurance plans, including MassHealth and Medicare, cover the shots with no payment from members.
For people without insurance, the department will provide free Covid vaccinations to people under 19 using the state’s Vaccines for Children program, department spokesperson Dawn Baxter said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides vaccine to the states for babies, children and teenagers who have no insurance, or who are Native American or Alaskan Native, or eligible for MassHealth (although MassHealth covers Covid vaccinations).
As for people 19 and older, “we are exploring options for coverage for uninsured adults and are committed to providing vaccines for all residents who need them,” Baxter said.
The federal Bridge Access Program, which enrolled pharmacies to provide free Covid vaccine to uninsured adults, expired this year. It was approved to help people when the federal government stopped buying vaccine and providing it free, transitioning Covid vaccines in the United States to the private market. Baxter said the city’s health department had not previously used the Bridge Access Program.
The department urged residents to get up-to-date flu and Covid vaccinations, saying they are safe, can be given at the same time and “will help protect against severe Covid-19 and flu this fall and winter.” It is recommended for everyone six months old or older.
Protection against Covid infection – as opposed to severe disease leading to hospitalization or death – may wane after a few months. The health department said September and October, the start of the respiratory disease season, is the best time to get vaccinated, though people who recently got Covid may wait three months to get the new shot.
Formulations of the influenza vaccine change every year, in line with what public health officials predict will be the major elements of the flu virus. The United States this summer approved new versions of the Covid vaccine that target the most recent variants of the virus.
MRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, and a more traditional protein-based vaccine from Novavax, are or will soon be available at pharmacies and primary care doctors’ offices as well as at the city’s clinics.
The Cambridge health department’s large public vaccination clinics are scheduled for:
- Oct. 16, Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Oct. 17, King Open School, 850 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, 3 to 6 p.m.
- Oct. 18, Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender St., Riverside, 1 to 4 p.m.
- Oct. 23, Reservoir Church, 170 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Oct. 24, Pisani Center, 131 Washington St., The Port, Cambridge, 4 to 6:30 pm
Details on making appointments for vaccinations will be provided later; appointments are recommended, although people can walk in. The health department said it will also hold smaller vaccination clinics at senior housing developments, homeless shelters and other sites serving vulnerable communities.
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