Flu and COVID Shots in Berks County: Where to Go and Costs
Where Berks County residents get flu and COVID shots this week, which pharmacies, urgent cares and clinics take walk-ins, what a shot costs without insurance, the ages pharmacies list, what Medicare and health plans pay, and the free doors for the uninsured.
You can get a flu shot this week at a pharmacy counter, an urgent care or Tower Health's own pharmacy in West Reading, and nearly every place listed below takes walk-ins. If you use a pharmacy or office your health plan lists, the plan pays the whole bill in most cases; without insurance, a standard flu shot runs about $45 to $99 at the Berks places that print a price, and there are free doors for people who can't pay. The hours and phone numbers live on our list of pharmacies in Berks County.
This is general information about where shots are given and what they cost in Berks, not medical advice; whether a shot is right for you or your child is a question for your doctor, your child's pediatrician, or the pharmacist at the counter.
Where can you get a flu shot in Berks County?
Flu and COVID shots in Berks are given at pharmacy counters, both chains and independents, at urgent care centers, at Tower Health's own pharmacy in West Reading, and at your own doctor's office; Berks Community Health Center, for one, lists flu shots for its patients. Our list of urgent care centers in Berks County has their hours.
So which door? These are the Berks places whose own pages state a walk-in policy; hours shift with the season, so call before you go.
| Place | Walk in? | Ages and shots its page lists | Price for people without insurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVS (Berks stores) | Walk-ins seven days a week where available; appointments on its site or app, up to four per booking | Flu as young as 3 in some states; COVID 5 and up at select stores, subject to state law | Flu $99, senior dose $144; COVID $149.99 to $298.99 a dose by product |
| Walgreens, 2203 Lancaster Pike, Reading | Walk in or schedule | Children 3 and older; COVID appointments 12 and up | Ask at the counter |
| Walmart (Berks stores) | Most vaccines by walk-in; scheduling suggested | Call the store | Ask at the counter |
| Tower Health 7th Avenue Pharmacy, West Reading | Walk-ins accepted; Mon-Fri 7 to 7, Sat 9 to 2; scheduling by MyTowerHealth or 484-659-6337 | Flu 3 and up; a 65-and-up flu vaccine; COVID 12 and up | No cost with most plans; ask about self-pay |
| West Reading Drug Store, West Reading | Walk-ins welcome, appointments get priority; Mon-Fri 8 to 7, Sat 9 to 2, Sun 9 to 1 | Flu for adults and children; high-dose 65 and up; COVID 65 and up, or 12 to 64 with an underlying condition | Call 610-375-4366 |
| Exeter Community Pharmacy, Reading (sister store Sinking Spring Pharmacy) | No appointment needed for flu shots at Exeter; Mon-Fri 9 to 6, Sat 10 to 2 | Flu shots listed; COVID by online appointment | Call |
| The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy of Shillington | Walk-ins Mon-Fri 11 to 5, Sat 11 to 1; children by appointment only | Flu 3 and up; high-dose 65 and up; COVID listed, with its page printing 12 and up in one place and 3 and up in another, so call | Flu free to its patients, even if insurance doesn't cover it |
| Patient First, Wyomissing | Walk right in, no appointment; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 365 days a year | Flu 3 and up; high-dose 65 and up; call about COVID | $45 for the visit with a standard-dose shot, $88 with high-dose (uninsured patients) |
| Tower Health Urgent Care (Wyomissing, Exeter, Sinking Spring, Douglassville) | Walk in, no appointment | Flu shots listed; call about COVID | Set self-pay prices; call the location |
| St. Luke's Care Now (Kutztown, Spring Township) | No appointment needed | Flu shots listed; call about COVID | Call the location |
Hours and prices as each place posts them; call before you go.
Nearly every row says walk in, so pick the place nearest you that's open when you can go and, for a child, prints an age or says to call. If Rite Aid was your pharmacy, its Pennsylvania stores closed in August 2025 and the prescriptions moved to nearby pharmacies. The chain rows cover several stores each, and the addresses are on our pharmacies page. For a door that's open whenever you get off work, Patient First in Wyomissing walks you in every day of the year, morning through evening.
2600 Paper Mill Rd, Wyomissing, PA
How much does a flu shot cost, with insurance and without?
With insurance, in most cases nothing. Most health plans must cover immunizations at no cost when they're given by an in-network provider, meaning a pharmacy or office your plan lists, even if you haven't met your deductible. A zero-dollar bill isn't guaranteed in every case, so check before you go: your plan's website or the number on your insurance card tells you which counters are in-network. Out of network, the pharmacy charges its self-pay price, the price for people without insurance.
And what is that price? At the Berks places that print one, a standard flu shot runs about $45 to $99 as of 2026, and the dose for people 65 and older about $88 to $144. One place's price is a visit with the shot included and another's is the vaccine alone, so ask what the number covers.
Free flu shots if you don't have insurance.
If you're uninsured or underinsured, the state points you to its State Health Centers and to federally qualified health centers for the flu vaccine. The Berks center is the state Department of Health office at 625 Cherry Street in Reading, open weekdays, offering immunizations for eligible residents. Its clinic days and who qualifies aren't posted online, so call ahead; start with the State Health Center entry in Get Help, which carries the Department's general line.
Berks Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center, has a sliding fee for people at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level; its walk-in hours are for current patients' sick visits, so call first if you aren't a patient. The rest of the free and sliding-fee clinics in Berks County are in Get Help. The Medicine Shoppe of Shillington gives free flu vaccines to its patients, even if their insurance doesn't cover it.
101 W Lancaster Ave, Shillington, PA
Where are COVID shots given in Berks?
Mostly at the same counters; the urgent care networks list flu shots rather than COVID shots. West Reading Drug Store on Penn Avenue lists flu vaccine for adults and children along with this season's Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines, and it welcomes walk-ins.
538 Penn Ave, West Reading, PA
Each counter sets its own rule for who gets a COVID shot there, and a store's rule can be narrower than CDC's. CDC's wording this season is that a 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for all adults ages 18 years and older; for children 6 months through 17 years it's recommended for those with moderate to severe immunocompromise and, for all other children in that age group, through shared clinical decision-making, meaning a decision made with their doctor. If you're between the two lines, ask the counter before you go. Without insurance, the one Berks place that prints a COVID price lists about $150 a dose for the pediatric shot and about $279 to $299 for the adult ones.
Do pharmacies give kids flu shots, and from what age?
Yes, with an age floor. Pennsylvania's pharmacy rule sets the floor for flu and COVID shots at people 5 years of age or older. A federal declaration in force through December 31, 2029 lets pharmacists go down to anyone ages three or older and overrides a stricter state rule, which is why some counters print three.
The table carries each counter's line. So for a child between three and five, ask the counter before you go, or go where the age is printed: Patient First is an urgent and primary care center, not a pharmacy counter, and lists flu shots from age three. A younger child's shots happen at the doctor's office; if you don't have one yet, our guide to healthcare providers in Berks County has a section on pediatric care.
What if money is the problem? The Vaccines for Children program, VFC for short, supplies the routinely recommended vaccines free to children 18 years old or younger who are on Medicaid, uninsured, underinsured (meaning insurance that doesn't cover the shot), or American Indian or Alaska Native. The provider may charge up to $23.14 to give each dose and can't refuse to vaccinate your child if you can't pay it. Underinsured children get VFC vaccines only at local health departments, state health centers, federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. Pennsylvania's VFC line, 888-646-6864, takes questions about the program and enrolled providers.
Does Medicare cover flu and COVID shots?
Yes. Medicare Part B, the part of Medicare that pays for doctor visits and shots, covers the seasonal flu vaccine and FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines, and you pay nothing when the provider accepts assignment, meaning it agrees to Medicare's rate; your local pharmacy is among the places Medicare names for the shot. Bring your Medicare card so the pharmacy can bill it; Medicare Advantage questions belong to our Medicare plans post.
When in the season should the shot happen?
CDC says September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated against flu and that ideally everyone is vaccinated by the end of October, so a shot this week falls inside that window. It also says some children need two doses, the first as soon as vaccine is available because the second comes at least four weeks later; whether your child needs two is the pediatrician's call. CDC recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions.
Questions people ask about flu and COVID shots in Berks.
Do I need an appointment for a flu shot in Berks? Rarely. Nearly every place listed above says to walk in; CVS takes walk-ins seven days a week where available and lets up to four people share one appointment.
Is the flu shot free with insurance? In most cases, yes, at a counter your plan lists; out of network you pay the self-pay price.
What is the senior or high-dose flu shot? The stronger flu shot made for people 65 and older; with insurance or Medicare Part B it costs nothing in most cases.
Pick the row nearest you, confirm the hours, bring your insurance or Medicare card; the phone numbers are on our list of pharmacies in Berks County.
Sources
- CDC, "Who Needs a Flu Vaccine / When to get vaccinated" (Sept. 18, 2025): who the flu recommendation covers, the September and October timing, the end-of-October target, two doses for some children, and the vaccines preferentially recommended for people 65 and older.
- CDC, "Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines" (Oct. 8, 2026): the 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for adults 18 and older and for children by immunocompromise or shared clinical decision-making.
- Medicare.gov, "Flu vaccines" and Medicare.gov, "COVID-19 vaccine" (read Oct. 11, 2026): Part B coverage, $0 with assignment, one flu vaccine a season, bring the Medicare card.
- HealthCare.gov, "Preventive health services": immunizations at no cost in-network even before the deductible, and "$0 cost isn't guaranteed in all cases."
- Pennsylvania Insurance Department and Department of Health, release (Sept. 30, 2025): the flu vaccine at no cost in-network for insured people, and State Health Centers and federally qualified health centers for uninsured or underinsured people.
- 49 Pa. Code § 27.403, Conditions for administration (State Board of Pharmacy): pharmacists may give flu and COVID-19 immunizations to persons 5 years of age or older.
- Federal Register, 12th Amendment to the PREP Act Declaration (Dec. 11, 2024): pharmacists may administer COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccines to persons ages three or older, preempting contrary state law, through December 31, 2029.
- Pennsylvania Department of Health, "State Health Centers" (read Oct. 11, 2026) and "General Immunization Guidance": 59 centers, weekday hours, immunizations for eligible residents, and the VFC program line for finding an enrolled provider.
- Pennsylvania Department of Health, "Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program": who qualifies, the $23.14 administration fee cap, where underinsured children are served, and 888-646-6864.
- CVS Pharmacy, "Flu Shots" (up to date as of July 10, 2026) and CVS Pharmacy, "COVID-19 Vaccine" (Sept. 25, 2026): the $99 and $144 flu prices, the COVID prices by product, walk-ins seven days a week where available, up to four people per appointment, and the age lines.
- Walgreens, "Immunization Services" and Walgreens, Reading store page (read Oct. 11, 2026): walk in or schedule, COVID appointments ages 12 and up.
- Walmart, "Flu Shots & Vaccine Appointments" (read Oct. 11, 2026): most vaccines without an appointment, scheduling suggested, no charge with most insurances.
- Tower Health, "Reading Hospital 7th Avenue Pharmacy" and Tower Health, "Urgent Care" and its Wyomissing location page (read Oct. 11, 2026): walk-ins accepted, the ages listed, flu shots at urgent care, the fixed self-pay schedule.
- Patient First, Wyomissing location and Patient First, Pennsylvania Self-Pay Program (read Oct. 11, 2026): walk-in flu shots, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 365 days, and the $45 and $88 visit-with-shot charges for uninsured patients.
- West Reading Drug Store, "Vaccine Appointments" and its home page (read Oct. 11, 2026): the address and hours, the 2026-27 Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, flu vaccine for adults and children, walk-ins welcome with appointment priority.
- Exeter Community Pharmacy and its home page (read Oct. 11, 2026): no appointment needed for seasonal flu shots at Exeter, the COVID vaccine booking, the sister Sinking Spring store, addresses and hours.
- The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy of Shillington, "Vaccine and Immunization" and "Vaccination Services" (read Oct. 11, 2026): walk-in hours, pediatric vaccines by appointment, free flu vaccines to its patients.
- St. Luke's Care Now, Kutztown and Spring Township location pages (read Oct. 11, 2026): no appointment needed, vaccinations including flu shots on the services list, the two Berks sites.
- Berks Community Health Center, "Services", "Walk-In Sick Visits" and "Children's Health" (read Oct. 11, 2026): flu shots for its patients, walk-in hours for current patients' sick visits, the sliding fee at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer, "All Rite Aid pharmacies are officially closed in Pa., N.J." (Aug. 23, 2025): the closures and where prescriptions went.