St. Joseph County Health Department offering COVID, RSV vaccines

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – If you want another dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, chances are you’ll have to pay a small fee.

The St. Joseph County Department of Health held a meeting on Tuesday night to talk about it.

Those with private insurance will have to pay something, and that amount depends on your plan. The Health Department says they realize not everyone wants another vaccine but are encouraging those who are high-risk to get boosted.

The Health Department is also partnering with the community to offer COVID and RSV vaccines. The RSV vaccine is for anyone over the age of 60 and for pregnant women.

“So, we at the health department, in order to provide this vaccination need to have it on our fee schedule,” said Diana Purushotham, St. Joseph County health officer.

You can go to the health department’s website to make an appointment. They encourage you to check your insurance plan before you come in as insurance companies have different levels of coverage.

Those with private insurance will have to pay something.

“We have to purchase that vaccine and for us to be able to continue to do that we have to charge the private insurance company,” Purushotham said. “And if it’s covered then the insurance will be charged the fee schedule that we are requiring. If someone is underinsured and doesn’t have insurance then we have a VFC program from which we can use, which will allow us to waive that fee.”

While COVID-19 vaccines are now considered routine, the Health Department still encourages people to get them.

“How sensitive people are to the COVID vaccine really depends on their own medical conditions and their risk factors, but we also have to think about transmission rates too. So, it is recommended that we do offer the COVID vaccine. And for those who are interested, they are able to have access to it,” Purushotham said. “…and what’s good about it is supposed to have activity to the new strains that are coming across. So, the whole is to get vaccinated and kind of prime your immune system for the type of viruses we may see during the respiratory season, so that if we get sick, we don’t get as sick and maybe not sick at all.”

The Health Department says they hope these vaccines will be delivered within the next few weeks.

Copyright 2023 WNDU. All rights reserved.