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NEWS ALERT

September 12, 2022

Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Providing Protection Against Omicron Variant Available at No Cost

Today, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that people with Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage, private insurance coverage, or no health coverage can get COVID-19 vaccines, including the updated Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, at no cost, for as long as the federal government continues purchasing and distributing these COVID-19 vaccines.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech updated vaccines that target the original COVID-19 viral strain and two Omicron variants (BA.4/BA.5) that are currently the most prevalent in the U.S. Individuals are eligible for their updated vaccine shot at least two months after completing at least their primary vaccination series (two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson)—regardless of how many monovalent COVID-19 boosters they have received to date.

The updated Moderna vaccine is authorized in individuals 18 years of age and older while the updated Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for individuals 12 years of age and older.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its recommendations regarding updated COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccines are the best defense against severe illness, hospitalization and death from the virus. CMS continues to explore ways to ensure maximum access to COVID-19 vaccinations. More information regarding the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Requirements and how the COVID-19 vaccine is provided through that program at no cost to recipients is available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccination-provider-support.html. For information on Medicare payment, billing and codes for the updated vaccine, visit the CMS COVID-19 Provider Toolkit.

For resources to help educate the public about COVID-19 vaccines visit the HHS We Can Do This campaign.

People can visit vaccines.gov (English) or vacunas.gov (Spanish) to search for vaccines nearby.

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Contact: CMS Media Relations CMS Media Inquiries