CVS Suspends COVID-19 Shots in 16 States as Fall Surge Expected

Millions of dollars in cuts to vaccine technology. Canceled research. mass resignations at the Centers for Disease control and Prevention. Overhauled health councils and ever-changing guidelines that result in sparring between government officials and professional medical agencies.

Keeping up with public health and, specifically, who can get a COVID-19 vaccine, has become more of a challenge as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office earlier this year. Kennedy ruffled feathers in health communities in June when he upended the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.## Who is eligible for the updated COVID-19 vaccine? Here’s what we know.

The FDA recently approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, pfizer-BioNTech, and Novavax, designed to target current variants.But who will be able to get them, and when? The answer is still evolving.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is scheduled to meet next on Sept. 18 and 19 to discuss recommendations for who *should* receive the updated vaccine. Currently, the FDA has authorized the vaccines for everyone 6 months and older, but the ACIP’s recommendations will likely narrow that down.

at a June meeting, the ACIP discussed prioritizing those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, including:

• Adults 65 years and older
• People with certain medical conditions, such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, and diabetes
• Pregnant people
• Immunocompromised individuals

It is indeed unclear if these factors will be the same ones used to determine eligibility for the updated COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnancy, for example, is listed as a “high-risk” condition here, but Kennedy previously announced the removal of pregnant women from the vaccine recommendation list.

## Can you still get the vaccine if your not in the approved groups?

It depends on your state and what happens when the ACIP convenes next on Sept.18 and 19.

Usually, the process for placing vaccines on the CDC’s formal immunization schedule begins with the FDA reviewing data and issuing its opinion on whether it should be distributed and to whom, Dr. Brigid Groves, Vice President of Professional affairs for the American Pharmacists Association (APHA), told USA TODAY.

Then the ACIP meets,brings forth its scientific advisors,analyzes the data,looks at the evidence and comes up with a recommendation. That recommendation then goes to the CDC director for review and independent approval, at which point the vaccine formally becomes part of the federal schedule.

in some cases,ACIP’s final decision differs from the indications first given by the FDA,such as in the case of the shingles vaccine,which was originally recommended for people 50 and older.After a review, the ACIP decided to focus first on getting the vaccine to people at the absolute highest risk, people 65 and up, a recommendation ultimately accepted by the CDC.

However, the formal federal schedule has yet to be reviewed or approved by the ACIP, which failed to pass a recommendation about the COVID-19 vaccine during its June 25-26 meeting and the July U.S. Preventive Services Task Force meeting, which was postponed. Usually, the committee makes its fall recommendations during this May or June meeting before respiratory illness season begins, said Groves.

Some states need ACIP and CDC recommendations in place before distributing vaccines over the counter at pharmacies, while others just need FDA approval.Therefore, the vaccine may not be available via the standard walk-in process of previous years.

Thirty-four states allow pharmacists to administer vaccines without an ACIP reccomendation, including alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Was

COVID-19 Vaccine Access Limited in Some States

“you’ve seen a number of statements from HHS and others saying that nobody who wants a vaccine is going to be prevented from getting one, but we don’t have guarantees for that,” said Dr. Robert H. Hopkins, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

Supply isn’t an issue, as 2025-2026 formulations of the vaccine have already been shipped or are in the process of being shipped to pharmacies, said Groves.

Until the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issues its recommendations or designates an exception, people in 13 states and DC can get the vaccine at CVS only with an “authorized prescriber’s prescription”: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Pharmacies can’t administer COVID-19 vaccines in Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico, where state laws don’t allow pharmacists to give a vaccination not recommended by ACIP.

walgreens didn’t respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment, but told CBS News that it was “prepared to offer the vaccine in states where we are able to do so.”