Covid booster and RSV shots in Italy?

It sounds like it would be a pain (paperwork, etc.) -- I would just keep trying local pharmacies before leaving. CVS in DC area appears to be taking appointments.

We've checked our local CVS and Walgreens. Unfortunately, no one has the Covid booster yet. They're thinking Oct. 1-ish.

All CVS locations will have booster early next week
Schedule an appt online
They also have RSV

We dont really know if the boosters have been approved in Italy or the EU yet, either.

Stan - Good point.

What if you have a reaction to the booster? We are leaving for our Trip to Italy on the same day as you and do not want to risk getting the booster so close to our trip date. Our last booster was in November so I am thinking getting another one within a 12 month period is not required.

Letizia - We were last boosted in mid-September 2022, so we're due. Hoping one of our local pharmacies will have it on hand next week. Fingers crossed.

There are MANY options available to get the new vaccines. Don't "hope they'll have it." If you want it next week, make an appointment NOW.

Try all the major pharmacy chains in your area, go to their national company websites and look up vaccine appointments. Also, don't overlook in-store pharmacies at major grocery stores (I have not tried these yet but I would bet my lunch money they will be on board the current push to get people updated on the latest COVID and flu shots). In the DC area? I'd guess that you have a plethora of options. Get the shot ASAP (assuming you want it, sounds like you do), get it here where it has just been approved and is literally rolling out right now (trucks are rolling, planes are flying it across the country); I've seen no solid info about an updated vaccine rollout in the EU. Given the "primary business" of your local area, I suspect you should be able to find an appointment within the first few days of its availability (starting Saturday, maybe even earlier in some places). Where I live, out on the west coast (far, far away from where the vaccines are made), availability looks widespread starting Saturday, even more places starting on Sunday.

I'll add that, FWIW, I was in contact with my health care provider and multiple local pharmacies in the past week. When I asked them when they expected availability of the updated vaccines, without exception, every single one of them told me the same thing: maybe end of the month or sometime in October, but certainly not in the next week or so. Yet that same same day, once the FDA and CDC had given the thumbs-up, appointments became available in every place I checked, beginning this weekend.

Sometimes things do move fast. I'm leaving on 9/22 and will be getting jabbed this Sunday. I think you probably do have time to get this before you go it you want to (but I expect demand will be high, so best to jump on it and get an appointment right now before they all fill up). Good luck.

I got triple vacs this past Monday at Walgreens. RSV, pneumonia and flu. Two jabs in one arm and one jab in the other. Felt like someone had hit me in the upper arm on both sides and in injection site was red for about two days. No fever or malaise.

I also plan to wear a mask on planes.

David - No luck so far. Our neighborhood pharmacy isn't sure when they'll get it and aren't making appointments. Same with Kaiser - our primary healthcare provider. They're not making appointments either.

A neighbor reported getting a Covid vaccine at CVS - but it turns out it's not the newly approved dose.

Someone suggested checking with the CDC to locate the new version. When I put in my zip code, they report no new vaccine within 100 miles of me!

BINGO! We found a Walgreens nearby that has the new dose and made appointments for next Tuesday. It took all day to find it, but that works for us!

Man oh man, I've earned my glass of wine tonight.

Our local Walgreens received the vaccines today and people have already gotten their shot.

what's RSV - we don't use that term here in England

Nigel,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_syncytial_virus

You can't assume that the identical products are dominant, or even available, in other countries.

Nothing here, they say a couple of weeks

The CVS site for covid vaccines updates frequently during the day. If you don't find a time that fits your needs, keep checking back. I am getting my booster this morning for an appointment I made last night.

Phew! Glad we grabbed two appointments for the covid booster at the neighborhood Walgreens for next week.

Kaiser Member Services called this morning to apologize for the inconveniences for not having the newly approved vaccine. They said they still are not making appointments and do not have a firm date for its arrival.

I have an appointment for the new shot on Monday at Walgreen's.

If the second part of your question is asking if you have to have a booster to enter Italy, the answer is no. There are no longer and covid vaccination requirements to enter the country.

Well, this gets crazy.

Just days - Sept. 25 - from our departure for a six-week-plus trip we managed to snare appointments for the covid booster at a local pharmacy. Today, just as we were heading out the door, the pharmacy called to say they can't give us the booster because the rule is we have go to through our Medicare Advantage provider - Kaiser.

Kaiser, in turns, says they aren't scheduling any appointments for the booster until sometime in October - long after we have departed for our trip.

Yes, we understand, we aren't required to have the covid booster to enter Italy. But with the new variants floating around, we want any added protection we can get for while we are in Italy for six weeks. Who wants to be sick in Italy?

Ugh!

Hmmmmm, that last comment from the pharmacy about needing to go through your Primary Care provider just sounds wrong, I've gotten, gosh maybe 5 COVID boosters at Walgreens, they enter your medical record number & just bill Kaiser in California. I can't imagine it's different where you live.

If you look at the Walgreens website, there's a place to add your primary insurance on the appointment. Keep trying!! Or go to CVS.

About the flu vaccine, it's not available before November in Sweden, which one doctor here told me is because the flu season lasts through early spring. I would get that too before you leave.

Wow. I would not have expected that. I hope you can work something out before you depart. How frustrating.

Sandancisco - Kaiser confirmed Walgreens can't code the billing out to them on the covid booster. And Walgreens won't accept cash for the shots either. This is just bizarre.

Come heck or high water, we're leaving Sept. 25 and taking our chances. Milan, Bologna, Trieste, Treviso, Vicenza, Venice await!

Might have to poke around to see if we can get the jab in Italy. That'll be a great souvenir.

And Walgreens won't accept cash for the shots either. This is just
bizarre.

That really IS weird. What about people who don't have insurance or their insurance simply doesn't cover certain things at ANY time?

You don't want to know what we paid for our 2-stage shingles shots. Had them done before we were on Medicare, our insurance at the time didn't cover them, and we didn't know that until they handed us the bill at CVS so had to pay out of pocket. Our bad for not doing the research but oof, I think it was $350 for each of us. Nothing like telling you to get the silly thing but making it virtually unaffordable for many to do so?

RSV: Those of you over 65, what are your individual DRs recommending for that one? Yea? Nay?

RSV? Ha! Our doctor is recommending (we're 68 and 69). But they're not scheduling appointments!

That's just bizarre, I'm so sorry! OK, I'm going to ask my +65 year old friends in CA how they're getting them.

According to MEDICARE, you can get this vaccine through a pharmacy. I'm wondering if you could call Medicare and ask them where to get it? Gosh, this reminds me of early 2021...
https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-vaccine.
Be sure to bring your red, white, and blue Medicare card with you when you get the vaccine so your health care provider or pharmacy can bill Medicare. If you're in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you must use the card from your plan to get your Medicare-covered services.

Unfortunately, it appears the EU has yet to approve the latest COVID booster. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/spikevax-ema-recommends-approval-adapted-covid-19-vaccine-targeting-omicron-xbb15

I'm throwing in the towel.

I broke out my Italy walking shoes and hoofed it to six pharmacies - CVS1, Walgreens, CVS2, an independent shop, Harris Teeter pharmacy, and a medical clinic for the poor. (Yes, Kaiser suggested going the clinic route.)

Walgreens is the only one to have it and they won't give it because they can't code the billing to Kaiser. I offered cold cash, credit card and asked if they might ignore my Medicare status and just give it to me as a walk-in. They said no. Worse, the five who didn't have it don't know when they'll have it.

According to our newspaper, only a small pool of people should get an
RSV vaccine. It's for people over 60 who are immune-compromised and/or
have heart problems, and very young children or pregnant women, per
the approval by FDA. So I dont think you can get it without seeing a
doctor in the US.

@Stan - Don't think that's the case. All I did was go online to CVS' website, scheduled an RSV vax (admittedly, I am in their system, having received vaccinations there previously), I walked in, gave them my name and DOB, they sat me down and shot me up. Zero friction. That said, my primary care physician did recommend I get the RSV vax this past July (not because of any underlying health issues). I think the only criteria is being 60+. 🤷🏻

@SamA - Sorry to hear about your experience, what a mess. Seems crazy random, and the billing issues are insane. Here, while some places have not received the updated vaccines yet, many have. Availability varies wildly, and comes-and-goes constantly. Spouse has an appointment this afternoon; I happened to be near that pharmacy yesterday, I popped in to ask if they really had received it yet, was told theirs arrived about 5 minutes before I was there, and they had to cancel all appointments in the previous 24 hours. Lots of churn.

Before getting the RSV vax, I called my insurance and asked if it was covered. They said yes, 100%, zero co-pay. I have not received any bill (at least not yet, it's been about 2 weeks). Of course, YMMV, no guarantees.

I just want to say that I feel very bad for all of you being unable to get the new vaccine, especially when you have listened as best as possible to the science behind it all , and feel that you really need it.
It really is appalling.

Why is every state so different, and why is there a charge for some of you and not for others?

Curious, as it’s different here in 🇨🇦, though we are apparently not getting the new one into pharmacies here for a few weeks as yet.

I just got my covid vaccine at Walgreens. I am on Medicare and Blue Shield. It took them a while to get everything in the system.
While I was waiting for my vaccine to be administered, a woman was told that her Kaiser plan could not be billed but that she could pay $158 if she still wanted it. She declined . So apparently it varies between locations

I had an appointment at CVS for yesterday but they canceled me out. As soon as I got the text I tried to rebook but it was hard to find appointments nearby . I found one but had to drive 30 miles from my SF Bay Area home.
I am leaving for Europe on October 2 so I was willing to go farther afield . Can you consider that?

At Walgreens the pharmacist said it was only the second day for them but it has been nonstop.
Good luck,you may find a cancelation and a provider that will let you pay for it.

S J, I'm confident it's just a timing issue on insurance coverage for the COVID vaccine. For whatever reason, it sounds as if the insurance companies didn't anticipate approval and availability of the new vaccine quite as early as they occurred.

We just booked our vaccines at CVS with just our Medicare numbers. We had appointments at Walgreens for today, but they called last night to cancel because they ran out and won’t get more until next week. Suspect there will be a glut of vaccine in a minth or so after the folks who really want it have tracked it down.

I've had a similar situation as we're traveling soon as well. I've spent the last few days making the rounds to different pharmacies. I got lucky yesterday at a local CVS - I must have arrived just as a shipment of doses were delivered. Based on my experience (several canceled appointments, problem with insurance, etc.) I'd just keep trying at any local CVS.

I've had very few little reaction to the injection.

Sending best wishes - in my case, persistence (eventually) paid off.

Hi there, just wanted to add that the EU has approved the new COVID vaccine to target the dominant Omicron XBB.1.5 variant. I doubt the vaccine will become available immediately, but will drop by the vaccine center and ask!
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-authorises-use-adapted-pfizerbiontech-vaccine-covid-19-variant-2023-09-01/

I got my Covid vaccine last Monday at Walgreens. I live in Illinois. Going to Italy on the 24th.
Medicare advantage plans are not really the same as regular Medicare. You gave all your care in the hands of private insurance. They should remove the word “medicare” on those plans. It is misleading.

To close out this long thread - BINGO! We've snagged appointments at a nearby pharmacy - at $158 each. We'll take it.

Our Kaiser provider, which would cover the cost of the vaccine, is now making appointments the day AFTER we leave. Timing, again, is everything.

On to Italy ... Milan, Bologna, Trieste, Treviso, Vincenza, Venice, here we come!

I’m traveling in the US at the moment and walked into a CVS in Endicott, NY and got the new vaccine without an appointment. Hubby is home in CA and finally got an appointment for tomorrow at Walgreens.

Rachel,
It is called Madicare Advantage because the premiums for the insurance MA plans are paid with funds from the Medicare fund.
But even the Traditional Medicare Fee for Service is actually administered not by the Federal Government but by contractors called Medicare Administrative Contractors (or MACs), which are divisions of health private health insurance companies. For your State of Illinois the MAC is National Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elevance Health Inc. (formerly Anthem Inc.), America’s second largest private health insurer and proprietary of the Blue Cross Blue Shield brand in many states.

A slight update - Susan was the first to get her vaccine this morning. Cost today was $191 at CVS.

Weird thing we learned is that if we had no insurance the shot would have been free. But because we have insurance, we pay.

Another tidbit: pharmacist said there still is no RSV vaccine in the District. Virginia, yes. Maryland, yes. But not D.C.