The American people largely embraced getting their first Covid-19 vaccination, and interest declined rather rapidly after the first shots. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 85 percent of all Americans age five and up have received at least one dose, and more than 95 percent of all U.S. senior citizens. About 73 percent of all Americans five and up finished the initial two-shot series. But only 38 percent of senior citizens have gotten the updated booster dose — the one designed to be more effective against the Omicron variant — and just 15.4 percent of the population five and older has gotten that updated booster.
In light of these numbers . . . how many Americans will be willing to pay out of pocket for future boosters?
Moderna Inc. said it is considering pricing its Covid-19 vaccine in a range of $110 to $130 per dose in the U.S. when it shifts from government contracting to commercial distribution of the shots.
The range is similar to the one Pfizer Inc. said in October it was considering for the Covid-19 vaccine it developed with BioNTech SE.
“I would think this type of pricing is consistent with the value” provided by the vaccine, Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said in an interview Monday on the sidelines of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.
The expected price for commercial insurers would be significantly higher than the per-dose cost in Moderna’s supply contracts with the federal government. Moderna’s updated booster shots cost about $26 per dose in a federal supply contract signed in July 2022. The original vaccine cost about $15 to $16 per dose in earlier supply contracts.
Up until now, policy-makers and health-policy experts have been tearing their hair out, trying to get Americans to get vaccinated. If just 15 percent of Americans beyond toddlers were willing to go out and get a free updated booster, just how many will be willing to pay to get the next updated booster? Does a family of four want to spend $440 to $520 to be prepared for the next variant?