Message from the Chief Medical Officer - COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccine Update
 

 

Dear Faculty and Staff,

 

On August 31, 2022, the FDA emergency authorized the bivalent COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer and Moderna. Subsequently, the CDC updated its Recommendations for Boosters with the bivalent booster now replacing prior booster recommendations for individuals >12 years of age.

 

Beginning Monday, September 19, 2022, UT Health will begin administering the Pfizer Bivalent vaccine to faculty, staff, and patients 12 years and older who completed their primary vaccine series or received a monovalent booster at least two months earlier.

 

  • The Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 booster will be available in the Medical Arts & Research Center (MARC) lobby on weekdays on a walk-in basis from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm or by appointment.
  • For adults and pediatric patients ages 5-11 years of age who have not completed their primary series, the MARC vaccine clinic will continue to provide Pfizer monovalent vaccine as well by appointment.
  • Individuals wishing to receive Novavax vaccines as a primary series will be able to receive doses on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm by appointment as well.  Novavax is not an mRNA vaccine and is produced using more traditional vaccine development methods.  Details of the COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the CDC webpage.
  • Appointments will be available Monday, September 19, 2022 on the UT Health Vaccine/Test Scheduling Webpage.

 

Wellness 360 will be providing influenza vaccines through their annual Pop-up clinics at the MARC and various campus locations.  Employees and students can book appointments for these sites through the Wellness 360 vaccine webpage.  Individuals scheduling an influenza vaccine will also be offered a Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as well.  Co-administration of the two vaccines has been approved by the CDC.

 

Primary care patients will also soon be able to schedule their COVID-19 boosters and influenza vaccines at any of the UT Health San Antonio primary care locations.  We will plan to notify providers and patients once vaccines become available at these sites.

 

Clinical studies as well as real-world experience have proven the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines and subsequent boosters.  As the cold and flu season approaches, please encourage your patients, families, and friends to “Get Vaccinated and Boosted” and remind all to bring their vaccine cards to their visit.

 

 

Chatchawin Assanasen, MD, MBA

Interim Chief Medical Officer, UT Health Physicians Ambulatory Services

Professor and CCRI Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Oncology

UT Health San Antonio Joe R. & Teresa Lozano-Long School of Medicine