The Baltimore City Health Department will offer free COVID-19 vaccines to uninsured residents and those with health insurance that does not cover the updated vaccine on Fridays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for the remainder of October and all of November.

Starting this Friday, COVID-19 vaccines will be available for adults, children and infants as young as 6 months who reside in Baltimore City at the health department’s walk-in immunization clinic at 1200 East Fayette St.. Flu shots will also be available for free to uninsured and underinsured people, said Yianni Varonis, communications director for the Baltimore City Health Department.

COVID vaccines will also be administered at several different outreach locations — including fairs, churches and an elementary school — this weekend and next week. Some of the outreach sites provide vaccines for adults only, and Varonis said availability of the flu vaccine will vary depending on supply. Details for each location are on the department’s website.

On its website the health department notes that these vaccine clinics are only for city residents without insurance that covers the shot. Others should obtain their vaccines at a local pharmacy or through their health care provider.

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Homebound Baltimoreans in need of vaccines should call the health department at 443-984-8650 to schedule a home visit.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized updated vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna last month and recommended them for everyone age 6 months and older. The vaccines have been reformulated to protect against the most prevalent current variant of the virus, XBB.1.5.

“COVID infections and hospitalizations are on the rise, risking the health and wellness of Baltimore’s children and adults alike,” said Mary Beth Haller, Baltimore’s Acting Health Commissioner, in a news release.

The release also notes that unvaccinated people are twice as likely to develop long COVID, a syndrome with diverse and sometimes debilitating symptoms that persist or recur following a COVID infection and can last weeks, months or even years.

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A substantial portion of uninsured city residents are immigrants, some of whom have limited English skills. Varonis said the city tries to keep this population informed of vaccine clinics through a multilingual monthly newsletter released by The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and through its grantee and partner, Comité Latino de Baltimore.

Baltimore City Health Department clinics

Fridays, Oct. 20-Nov. 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

1200 E. Fayette St.

Moderna vaccine and flu shots for adults, Moderna or Pfizer vaccines for children 6 months and older

Upcoming outreach clinics

Thursday, Oct. 19, 10 a.m-2 p.m.

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Bon Secours Community Resource Center Health Fair, 31 S. Payson St.

Moderna vaccine and flu shots for adults

Friday, Oct. 20, 4-7 p.m.

Sacred Heart of Jesus church (Sagrado Corazón de Jesús), 600 S. Conkling St.

Pfizer vaccine and flu shots for ages 12 and older

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Saturday, Oct. 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Lakeland Fall Festival, 2921 Stranden Road

Moderna vaccine for ages 3 and older, flu shots for adults

Wednesday, Oct. 25, 1-3 p.m.

Curtis Bay Elementary School, 4301 W. Bay Ave.

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Moderna vaccine for ages 3 and older, flu shots for adults

Friday, Oct. 27, 12-4 p.m.

Harvest Festival at Kirby Lane Park, 1822 W. Saratoga St.

Moderna vaccine for ages 3 and older, flu shots for adults

Friday, Oct. 27, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Sacred Heart of Jesus church (Sagrado Corazón de Jesús), 600 S. Conkling St.

Pfizer vaccine and flu shots for ages 12 and older

sarah.true@thebaltimorebanner.com

Sarah True

Sarah True

Sarah True was a public health reporter for the Baltimore Banner. She previously worked as a freelance journalist covering healthcare and health policy, and has been both a medical social worker and a health policy analyst in a past life. She holds dual Master’s degrees in public health and social work.

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