Vaccines for COVID-19, the flu and RSV are now available in North Texas.
“That is more consistent with the way we approach, for example, the flu vaccine or some of the other vaccines that get updated either annually or periodically based on circulating strains of a virus,” said Dr. James Cutrell, an infectious disease expert at UT Southwestern.
This fall marks the first virus season with vaccines available for some of the most common viral illnesses: COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Flu and RSV spread unseasonably early last year and led to high hospitalization rates, especially among young children.Prashant Sharma, CVS pharmacy manager, shows the COVID-19 vaccines, COMIRNATY 2023-2024 formula by Pfizer and BioNTech, at CVS, in Irving, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023.
“For people who are, you know, young and healthy, certainly there may be, you know, personal reasons or desire for them to get the booster,” Cutrell said. “But I think there’s less urgency for some of those groups to go out and get the booster as compared to some of the higher-risk individuals.” Some North Texas pharmacies have already started administering the updated vaccines. Dallas County Health and Human Services does not have the new vaccines yet, but is able to order them from the state beginning Tuesday. It could take five to 10 business days for the health department to receive the updated doses, said the county’s top health official Dr. Philip Huang.Health insurance should cover the cost of the vaccine for most people.
Patients can safely receive a flu shot at the same time as the updated COVID shot, said Chino Agbasi, a local pharmacist and pharmacy manager for CVS.Gail Moore, 86 of Irving receives a Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccine from Prashant Sharma, CVS pharmacy manager, at CVS, in Irving, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023.RSV causes cold-like symptoms in most people with normal immune systems. But for some groups, including the elderly and young children, the virus can be deadly.
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