The updated COVID-19 vaccine is now available at the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Departments.
The vaccine is now in stock at offices in each of the four counties – Allen, Anderson, Bourbon and Woodson. The vaccine is available to those aged 12 and older.
SEKMCHD director Rebecca Johnson said all offices have received numerous calls and requests for the vaccine, which has been updated to better protect against currently circulating COVID variants. The new vaccine is a single dose that targets the dominant COVID variant Omicron XBB.1.5.
The previous bivalent vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the U.S., and the vaccine is no longer federally funded. That means uninsured adults will be responsible for the cost of the vaccine. Insurance, Medicare and Medicaid are accepted.
The health departments also have the new RSV vaccine for pregnant women (32-36 weeks gestation) to prevent RSV in their babies for the first six months of life. It’s also available for those aged 60 and older.
The health department has pneumonia, flu and shingles vaccines available as well.
ANYONE, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, may receive the updated monovalent vaccine as long as it has been at least two months since the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. There are a few exceptions; call the health department at 620-365-2191 for details.
More information can be found at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
