Some federal funding for COVID vaccines has been cut, but you can still get a free vaccine in Philly

About 23,000 doses of the latest COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Philadelphia since the shots became available in late summer — enough for about 1% of the city's population.

And with "sick season" approaching, officials are encouraging more residents to get vaccinated before the traditional winter spike in respiratory illnesses.

"Our strong recommendation is that people get vaccinated by October to get that full protection for the increase in cases and hospitalizations that may occur during the winter season," said Gayle Mendoza, a clinician in the COVID-19 Containment Program at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

This year's uptake underscores a post-pandemic trend: COVID vaccine uptake statewide has lagged behind the flu vaccine . About half of Pennsylvania residents get a flu vaccine each year. But just 24% of Pennsylvanians got an updated COVID vaccine last year.

» READ MORE: Penn doctor worries patients are hesitant to get another COVID booster

Like flu vaccines, COVID vaccines are now updated each year to target the most prominent variants of the virus circulating. This year, three vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration : the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna and a more traditional protein-based vaccine from Novavax.

"Even though we might be out of the really difficult parts of the pandemic, COVID is still here to stay. It's going to be around the way that flu is," Mendoza said.

COVID still causes more serious illness than the flu, she said — but vaccines lessen your chance of getting severe symptoms.

A free vaccine program expires One difference in this year's COVID vaccination campaign: A federal program that has in the past paid for some uninsured Americans' shots has expired. But Philadelphia health officials say that they are using separate federal money to get free shots to city residents who need them.

In the early years of the pandemic, the federal government ensured that all COVID vaccines were free. Since last fall, commercial insurance plans have been required to cover the cost of the latest COVID vaccines instead. (Medicaid and Medicare, the publicly-funded insurance programs for lower-income and older Americans, are also required to cover the vaccines.)

During a rocky vaccine rollout last fall, some private insurers didn't update their billing codes quickly enough to accommodate the new vaccines. To fill the gap, health officials in Philadelphia and around the country directed patients to the Bridge Access Program , a federal initiative that covered vaccines for under- and uninsured people.

» READ MORE: How to order free COVID tests this fall

But earlier this year, to avoid a government shutdown, Congress eliminated funding for the Bridge Access Program .

The program was supposed to expire in December but ran out of funding in August, The Washington Post reported , and some Americans without insurance have already been charged more than $200 for an updated COVID shot.

Philadelphia health officials are using another source of federal funding to continue offering free vaccines to residents, Mendoza said. At five city health centers , people above the age of 12 without insurance can get free COVID vaccines with proof of city residency, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Children under 12 who are eligible for the city's Vaccines for Children program can also get their free shot at the health centers now. By the end of the week, the centers are hoping to be able to offer vaccines to all kids, Mendoza said.

Similar efforts are underway in the suburbs. Montgomery County , for example, is also offering free flu and COVID vaccines at a series of health clinics through October; residents can sign up for their shot on the county website .