his year’s updated COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for adults 65 and older and younger people with certain medical conditions that put them at a higher risk of a severe COVID-19 infection.
Although federal officials have emphasized that people who want a COVID-19 vaccine can get one after consulting with a doctor, the narrower approval may limit access to shots for some people who were routinely able to get them in the past.
Here’s what to know about getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
FDA has now issued marketing authorization for those at higher risk: Moderna (6+ months), Pfizer (5+), and Novavax (12+). These vaccines are available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors,” US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a post on X this week.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the conditions that put someone at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 include:
- Asthma
- Blood cancers
- Cerebrovascular diseases
- Chronic kidney disease
- Some chronic lung diseases
- Some chronic liver diseases
- Cystic fibrosis
- Type 1 and 2 diabetes
- Gestational diabetes
- Disabilities, including Down syndrome
- Heart conditions
- HIV
- Mood disorders, including depression and schizophrenia
- Dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
- Current or recent pregnancy
- Primary immunodeficiencies
- Current or former smoking
- Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant recipients
- Tuberculosis
- Use of immunosuppressive drugs
Most of these conditions can affect the immune system in such a significant way that they would inhibit the body’s ability to fight off a COVID-19 infection, increasing the risk of that infection causing severe illness or death.
COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be available at many pharmacies and doctor’s offices in the United States this fall.
Both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna said their updated Covid-19 vaccines are expected to be available in the “coming days.”
Pfizer and BioNTech said that their COVID-19 vaccine this season “will begin shipping immediately and be available in pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics” across the country.
John C. Jacobs, president and CEO of vaccine maker Novavax, said in that company’s news release that it will “work with our partner Sanofi to provide access to a protein-based, non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for eligible individuals this fall.”
CVS Pharmacy locations expect to receive the updated COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days, spokesperson Amy Thibault said.
“We’ll administer FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines in states where legally permitted at CVS Pharmacy and/or MinuteClinic to meet our patients’ needs,” Thibault said in an email. “Appointments can be scheduled online via CVS.com, through the CVS Health app, or patients can walk into our pharmacies and clinics.”
But CVS is not yet offering COVID-19 vaccinations in some states, even if someone meets the eligibility criteria. The pharmacy chain said that it follows state-level pharmacy regulations and that in some states, pharmacists are forbidden from giving vaccines that are not recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. That group of independent vaccine advisers is scheduled to meet September 18-19.
CVS said Friday that it’s not offering COVID-19 vaccinations in 16 states and Washington, DC, due to the current regulatory environment: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
Walgreens also said in an email that most of its pharmacies are preparing to offer the COVID-19 vaccine where regulations allow.
“Walgreens is prepared to offer the vaccine in states where we are able to do so. In accordance with FDA approval and state requirements, we will offer the vaccine to all adults ages 65 years and older, as well as to individuals under 65, who are at higher risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19, as determined by the CDC,” a spokesperson said in an email Friday.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a post on X that “100% of adults in this country can still get the vaccine if they choose. We are not limiting availability to anyone.”
Health care providers can provide COVID-19 vaccines “off-label” for those who do not meet the new eligibility criteria based on their age or overall health, Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement Wednesday. A medical product is “off-label” when it’s used outside of the terms for which the FDA has explicitly approved it.