Williamson County Health, TX

May 4, 2023 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new guidance to simplify the process of staying up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC has announced that people over the age of five who are unvaccinated will only need to receive a single bivalent COVID-19 vaccine instead of two monovalent vaccines, making the vaccination process more straightforward for millions.

However, for children younger than five, the CDC still recommends multiple doses, which will vary by age, vaccine, and prior vaccination history. Moreover, the CDC has authorized a second bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for those who are 65 years of age and older or immunocompromised and have already received their first vaccine.

Despite the end of the public health emergency on May 11, 2023, the availability, access, and costs of COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, will remain unaffected. COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be free to all individuals, regardless of insurance coverage, as long as the federal government's vaccine supply lasts.

Once the federal supply of vaccines is depleted, vaccines will remain available and free for most individuals with private and public insurance.

Vaccines are available at all WCCHD Public Health Centers – visit www.wcchd.org for more information. To find a list of additional vaccine providers in your area visit www.vaccines.gov (www.vacunas.gov in Spanish).

Additionally, to help people stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 status and safeguard their loved ones from the virus, free mail-order rapid antigen test kits for households are once again available for a limited time at covid.gov/tests.