Review the updates below before scheduling your appointment, including important information about cost, payment, billing and insurance –
Where can I get a COVID vaccine?
COVID vaccines are widely available at pharmacies, Health Centers, Clinics and local health departments (like us!) across the state.
Find a vaccine appointment near you by clicking https://www.vaccines.gov/search/
* Our Department serves as a safety net provider. This means, if you can’t get an appointment at your regular healthcare provider, health center or local pharmacy, we can serve you.
**For appointments call 518-873-3500
What's New for 2025 - 2026?
All individuals 6 months of age and older are eligible to receive the updated COVID vaccine.
What are the updated 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines, and how are they different from previous versions? Are they effective against the latest variants?
The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines contain updated formulas designed to better match the COVID-19 variants circulating this season, providing more targeted protection. The available vaccines are from Moderna (Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE), Pfizer-BioNTech (COMIRNATY), and Novavax (Nuvaxovid). Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are mRNA vaccines that give your cells instructions to make a harmless piece of the virus, teaching your immune system to fight it. Novavax is a protein-based vaccine that shows the immune system a purified piece of the virus and uses an adjuvant to boost the immune response.
**Know our billing and payment options before you schedule.
***If you do not have insurance or an insurance that covers the COVID vaccine, we can serve you!
We can bill:
Public Insurance: Medicaid, Medicare Part B, Child Health Plus, Fidelis Managed Care.
Private Insurance: Excellus or CDPHP.
Present your card at your appointment to receive services at no charge. If you are not covered by these health insurances we will provide you a receipt for service that you may submit to your insurance company to seek reimbursement.
This Department charges an at-cost rate plus administration fee —our rate/fees are adjusted down using a sliding fee scale based on household income.
COVID-19 – $128 per dose + $25 admin fee = $153.00
Flu vaccine – $18 per dose + $25 admin fee = $43.00
Flu vaccine high dose – $64 per dose + $25 admin fee = $89.00
We require payment at the time of your appointment and will give you a receipt documenting that you received the vaccine and the amount you paid. You must then submit that receipt to your insurance company to request reimbursement.
Are COVID vaccines still free?
*COVID vaccines are now available commercially. This means COVID-19 vaccines are no longer being distributed by the United States Government for free. Rather they are available for purchase directly from manufacturers or distributors.
**What this means for individuals is that whoever gives you the COVID vaccine will bill your insurance company – whether public (such as Medicare or Medicaid) or private (such as Excellus, Empire, CDPHO, and others).
**If you don’t have any insurance or an insurance that covers the vaccine or other barrier to billing, there are programs to ensure access to the COVID vaccine. This includes the Vaccine for Children Program (for those 6 months – 18 years of age) and the Bridge Access program for those ages 18+.
What Has Not Changed?
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COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying.
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As with other vaccine-preventable diseases, you are best protected from COVID-19 when you stay up to date with the recommended vaccinations.
COVID-19 vaccines recommended for use in the United States:
- Pfizer-BioNTech
- Moderna
- Novavax
Getting Vaccines If You Recently Had COVID-19
If you recently had COVID-19, you still need to stay up to date with your vaccines, but you may consider delaying your vaccine by 3 months.
Reinfection is less likely in the weeks to months after infection. However, certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as:
- personal risk of severe disease,
- risk of disease in a loved one or close contact,
- local COVID-19 hospital admission level,
- and the most common COVID-19 variant currently causing illness.