Federal officials have now approved three updated COVID-19 vaccines for people to get before cold fall weather hits.
Drug companies have tweaked the vaccines to respond to more recently circulating strains of the coronavirus, which experts say will more effectively prevent people from getting dangerously sick.
But the rollout in the St. Louis region has at times been frustrating for people who want the vaccine. While many have said they found the shot with no issues, some have complained that they've seen pharmacies cancel their appointments.
Ellen Sherman of Brentwood booked two appointments at CVS that the pharmacy chain subsequently canceled.
“I want my immunity,” she said. “We've got a family reunion, people coming in from out of town we've never even met in a few weeks. … I want to be able to see my family.”
Sherman finally found an appointment for her and her husband at a Walgreens in south St. Louis County. She said even with the minor headaches of trying and failing to get appointments, the effort was worth it.
“I was just glad to get it already,” she said. “I didn't want to keep waiting, because I know it takes a while after you have it before it's effective.”
The bumpy rollout is in part because the federal government’s COVID-19 public health emergency declaration expired earlier this year, said Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, St. Louis health director. The declaration, along with pandemic-related funds approved by lawmakers, meant federal and state governments distributed the vaccine to health providers at clinics, pharmacies and hospitals.
“The COVID-19 public health emergency really empowered the government to provide free services to the community … testing, treatment,” Hlatshwayo Davis said. “We just got accustomed to those being free, but those were made accessible and available in that way because that COVID-19 emergency order was in place.”
Unlike earlier in the pandemic, she said, health providers now are largely getting vaccines through traditional commercial suppliers and distributors.
CVS also repeatedly canceled appointments that University City resident Katie Simpson made when she tried to get the vaccine.
Simpson, a nurse and editor of an academic maternal nursing journal, partially places the blame on the Biden administration.
“That was a grave error on the part of our government to say that there was no longer a public emergency,” she said. “That was very disappointing.”
A CVS spokesman said the pharmacy chain is now ordering vaccines through a non-governmental distributor. Shipping delays from suppliers have resulted in inadequate numbers of vaccine doses and canceled appointments.
“We’re receiving updated COVID-19 vaccines from suppliers on a rolling basis, and most of our locations can honor scheduled appointments,” said Matt Blanchette, CVS Pharmacy senior manager of retail communications. “However, due to delivery delays from our wholesalers, some appointments may be rescheduled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Until this point, the federal government has footed the cost of the vaccines and provided them for free to anyone regardless of their insurance status.
Almost all insurers are now required to cover the cost of the updated Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for those in network. But some patients, including Anne Bannister of St. Louis, have nevertheless reported insurance companies rejected covering the shot.
“It’s frustrating because I know there was a vaccine available at CVS for me, but the red tape of the insurance and the pharmacies is preventing me from simply getting it,” Bannister said. “When I asked one of the six people at Anthem I spoke with why I could get my covered flu shots at a pharmacy but not the covered COVID shot, they had no answers.”
Retail pharmacies have been offering the vaccine since last month. Other locations are now receiving their doses and are scheduling appointments or planning on opening their books soon.
The St. Louis Health Department will soon offer the vaccine to some patients, and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health began giving the shot on Thursday. Providers at Mercy, BJC and other health systems plan to or are already giving patients the updated vaccine, hospital representatives said.
The federal government is still distributing doses to providers that participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Bridge Access vaccination program, which gives the vaccine to uninsured people for free, Hlatshwayo Davis said. Qualifying patients will be able to get those shots at certain pharmacies, health departments and federally qualified community health clinics.
Even if it’s initially difficult to make an appointment, she urged residents to get the updated vaccine.
“A booster shot is the best way to keep your immunity in check,” she said, adding the CDC recommends getting the updated vaccine even for those who have recently had COVID-19.
Fall and winter are the times of year when COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are usually the most prevalent, she said.
“Immunity [that] is derived from infections deteriorates over time, so your body may not be able to respond as well to repeated exposure, especially from newer strains,” Hlathswayo Davis said.
St. Louis Public Radio’s Lara Hamdan contributed to this report.
