Delayed Vaccine Meeting, Shifting Policies Make It Difficult For People To Get Covid Shot At Pharmacies

A delayed advisory sheet gathering and shifting vaccine policies under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are making it difficult for group to get updated Covid shots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices must rumor recommendations connected who should get a Covid vaccine successful bid for pharmacists successful definite states to administer nan shots.

In caller years, nan committee met earlier successful nan summer truthful that shots were disposable up of nan wintertime respiratory season. This year, nan group isn’t scheduled to meet until Sept. 18.

Ethan Slavin, a spokesperson for CVS, 1 of nan country’s largest drugstore chains, said successful an emailed connection that Covid changeable entree whitethorn dangle connected wherever you unrecorded and whether you person a prescription.

In 13 states and Washington, D.C., until ACIP issues its recommendations, everyone will request a doctor’s prescription, and moreover then, eligibility will dangle connected age. In 3 states — Massachusetts, Nevada and New Mexico — CVS won’t beryllium offering nan Covid changeable astatine each until ACIP acts.

“States whitethorn alteration astatine immoderate time,” Slavin said. The 13 states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Further compounding nan disorder are recommendations from Kennedy himself.

In May, Kennedy announced that nan CDC would no longer urge regular Covid shots for children and pregnant women. As of Friday, however, nan CDC’s website still recommended nan shots for pregnant women, though a statement astatine nan apical of nan page said that nan Covid vaccine recommendations person been “recently updated for immoderate populations” and that nan page will beryllium updated.

On Wednesday, Kennedy announced that the Food and Drug Administration had narrowed eligibility for this fall’s Covid shot, limiting it to group ages 65 and older aliases those pinch underlying wellness conditions. He didn’t explain which conditions qualify.

Emily Heumann, 31, went to a Publix drugstore successful cardinal Florida connected Tuesday to get her Covid vaccination, equipped pinch a medicine from her doctor.

Emily Heumann, 31, of cardinal Florida. Haleigh Nicole Photography

Heumann, who is 32 weeks pregnant, said she expected nan process to beryllium easy. Her expert had besides prescribed nan RSV vaccine and recommended she get a flu shot. But she said nan pharmacist turned her away, citing “new guidelines” from ACIP.

“He said, ‘I work together nan subject says they’re bully for you, but I cannot springiness them to you, I person to travel our policy,’” Heumann said.

After pushing back, Heumann said Publix agreed to springiness her nan flu shot, but still refused to supply nan RSV and Covid vaccines. By Thursday, she had gotten nan RSV changeable astatine a adjacent CVS, but unit told her nan Covid changeable was retired of banal until nan updated versions arrived.

“I deliberation it’s a really vulnerable situation,” Heumann said, “perpetuating this thought that location needs to beryllium immoderate interest astir vaccinating pregnant group erstwhile each nan investigation shows it benefits america and our baby.”

On Thursday, Heumann sewage an email from a Publix drugstore supervisor that read: “I apologize for not being capable to supply each of your vaccine requests. In nan State of Florida, pharmacists are only permitted to administer vaccines according to nan ACIP guidelines only.”

A spokesperson for Publix did not respond to a petition for comment.

It’s not clear that nan ACIP gathering will make it easier for group to get nan Covid vaccine. In June, Kennedy fired each 17 members of nan sheet and replaced them pinch his ain picks, including respective Covid vaccine skeptics. Conflict complete nan upcoming gathering has led to monolithic upheaval astatine nan CDC with nan head being fired and respective apical officials resigning successful protest.

Dr. Paul Offit, nan head of nan Vaccine Education Center astatine Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a vaccine advisor to nan FDA, said pharmacists are often wary of giving vaccines extracurricular ACIP guidelines because they mostly person less ineligible protections than doctors and hospitals.

He said he could spot really nan Publix pharmacist mightiness beryllium confused — which, he added, whitethorn beryllium precisely what Kennedy wants.

“Kennedy has said something, but nan ACIP has not,” he said.

Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for nan Department of Health and Human Services, said successful a statement: “HHS is not limiting entree to COVID vaccines.”

“They stay disposable to those who take them successful consultation pinch their healthcare provider,” Nixon said.

In a statement, a Walgreens spokesperson said nan drugstore is prepared to connection nan Covid changeable successful states “where we are capable to do so” but did not specify which states.

“In accordance pinch FDA support and authorities requirements, we will connection nan vaccine to each adults ages 65 years and older arsenic good arsenic to individuals nether 65 pinch astatine slightest 1 underlying information that puts them astatine precocious consequence for terrible outcomes from COVID-19,” nan spokesperson said.

Dorit Reiss, a vaccine argumentation master astatine nan University of California Law San Francisco, said successful respective states, pharmacies necktie their expertise to springiness vaccines to ACIP recommendations.

She said nan constricted entree astatine pharmacies intends galore patients will simply beryllium told to spell elsewhere.

For pregnant women, she noted, that often isn’t an action because astir OB-GYN offices don’t banal vaccines.

“The caput said he will not return distant anyone’s vaccines, but he did conscionable that,” Reiss said.