People trying to get a Covid vaccine recently report that there’s often a lot of confusion, frustration, refusals and failures to follow consistent policies across the United States — and yet sometimes they succeed.
When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told senators in a hearing last week that anyone who wants a vaccine can get one, the lawmakers immediately challenged him. The personal experiences of many people prove that’s not true.
Several New York women were turned away, including woman who’s a caretaker to her ill mother, though New York’s governor has tried to make vaccines available to all through an executive order. After several tries, a New Jersey man got his. A Boston woman drove her mom to Rhode Island for a vaccine. A Washington, D.C., man took a train to Maryland. In Iowa, I was turned down by multiple sites on Monday, Sept. 8, though I am over 65 — they said I need a prescription.
Updated Covid shots for the 2025-26 season started to arrive at pharmacy chains and offices last week, but the confusion generated in Washington by the Food and Drug Administration limiting the vaccine to people over 65 or people with a list of qualifying conditions that makes their risk greater has meant that a lot of people who want it can’t get it. Under normal circumstances, F.D.A.-approved vaccines are examined by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says who qualifies. It is to meet Sept. 18-19 to discuss the 2025-2026 Covid vaccines. Kennedy dismissed all the 17 members of the panel in June, then named several replacements who have anti-vaccine credentials. The committee may still meet, but its decisions are hard to predict.
This reminds us vividly of the early days of the botched vaccine rollout, when people were trading tips and tricks to get it, and people were flying to New York from abroad. But now it’s U.S. citizens looking to go to Canada or elsewhere to get it. At that time, we helped by sharing suggestions; this reporting also led us to a partnership with the Fund for Public Health of New York City to deliver vaccines to underserved neighborhoods.
The Vaccine Hunters groups on Facebook are full of suggestions. Here’s the Chicago one. Here’s the Bay Area one. Here’s the Maryland one.
Confusion in N.J.
In New Jersey, a 52-year-old Maplewood resident said on Monday, Sept. 8, that he was told last week by Walgreen’s that he could not get the vaccine because he did not qualify. He then asked his physician’s assistant’s office if they would vaccinate, but they said they had stopped vaccinating people a couple of years ago.
He then saw a social media post suggesting that CVS was taking signups online. He went to the CVS site and signed up, said he has a risk factor (they didn’t require him to specify what it was) and went in and got the vaccine on Monday at the CVS at 453 Valley St. in Maplewood — with no charge, and with no documentation.
He said his Body Mass Index is his risk factor — he’s overweight. But no one asked.
“I didn’t have to provide insurance information or anything — I’m in their system already,” he said. “When i went in today, they just checked my name, didn’t ask for I.D. or insurance card, and gave me the shot.” He had a choice of Moderna or Pfizer and chose Moderna.
(Have you tried to get a Covid vaccine lately? Tell us what happened: Email jeanne@clearhealthcosts.com.)
‘Nonstop giving vaccine’
CVS has “a ton of signage outside in Maplewood saying the Covid vaccine is free with most insurance plans,” he said, adding that the CVS staff told him they had been “nonstop giving vaccine,” suggesting that CVS is finding this good business.
He also said the Maplewood public health officer told him last week that he did not qualify, basically what Walgreen’s said. “Due to current C.D.C. guidance, you are too young to get a vaccine,” he quoted her as saying. “She said, ‘I’m sorry, that is the guidance we need to follow.”
His relatives in Tucson, Ariz., who are over 80, got the same guidance, he said.
In New York, a 45-year-old Brooklyn entrepreneur wrote: “As it happens, I tried to book a covid shot this morning on the CVS app along with flu and 2nd shingles shot. I booked the latter two without incident, but got a pop up informing me that I wasn’t eligible for the covid vaccine. I haven’t looked any further at this point as it’s a busy back-to-school Monday, but I found that annoying.” This despite the fact that Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed an executive order saying that New Yorkers ages 3 and up can get vaccines. (More below on this.)
Also in New York, a 52-year-old entrepreneur living in the Hudson Valley went to a CVS and was turned down. “I just signed up for my vax’s for the year and 100% can not get Covid-19 in NY State due to my age – under 65 and my lack of one of the conditions listed for exception,” she wrote. “I was told that even with a prescription I would likely be denied.”
‘Busy and chaotic’
Another New Yorker visited a Walgreens in Murray Hill, in Manhattan, but she still doesn’t have hers, despite the Hochul executive order. A full-time professional in her early 50s, she is currently caregiver to her mom, who has interstitial lung disease and often stays with her and her husband and kids. Her mom is on oxygen, and her pulmonologist has warned that any cold, flu or worse will put her in the hospital.
She wrote: “On Friday, I brought my mom to her scheduled appointment at Walgreens in NYC to get the shot. She’s over 65 and high risk but still needed a prescription which she had. The pharmacy was busy and chaotic. Many of the people there thought they could get their Covid shot per the EO.
“An employee behind the counter confirmed Walgreens was now giving shots to all who wanted it. I tried to make a walk-in appointment. After a successful fourth attempt to put my appointment in the system and get insurance approval, I thought I was all set. As the pharmacist took me into the room, he said be wouldn’t give me the covid vax because I didn’t have a high risk condition. I got the flu shot only. My mother did receive the Covid vax. The employees told me to come back in a few days when the system updates to reflect the new EO, but I’m not optimistic from what I have been hearing. They turned the others away as well and one customer that did have a prescription was having a hard time too.
“I did call Walgreens to find out why they weren’t yet following NYS guidance and they said they were waiting for an update from the CDC! I can’t believe this has been so screwed up and that there’s no ability for a caregiver to get the shot regardless of condition. I haven’t tried my GP yet, but I will.”
A Brooklyn woman wrote: “I had mine on Saturday at Walgreens! I did have a prescription from my doc as I booked it before the Governor’s decree.”
Massachusetts to R.I.
A Massachusetts woman drove to Rhode Island with her mother to get vaccinated. She wrote in an email:
“I’m 48 and my mom is 77 and immune compromised. My dad is 80 and also immune compromised. They couldn’t find anywhere to get a vaccine in Massachusetts, so they asked for my help. I managed to make appointments for all of us at a CVS in Providence, Rhode Island, after reading that Rhode Island was one of the states offering vaccines with fewer restrictions.
“Last Friday, September 5, I picked up my mom at her house and we drove for just over an hour to the CVS. My dad decided not to come because he didn’t want to ride in the backseat of the car (he’s finicky like that). The staff there was unbelievably nice, allowing us to use their staff bathroom when we arrived because they had no public restroom. They were happy to vaccinate both me and my mom. They told me I could bring my 7 year old daughter back because they had kids’ doses as well. By the time we got back, my dad had walked by the local CVS in Massachusetts and gotten his shot, too — the shipment was literally coming in as he walked by and he got one of the first shots out of the box.
“Now I’m struggling to find a vaccine in Massachusetts for my daughter. Her doctors’ office has no answers about when they might get them, but it will probably not be until later in October. Many kids at her school are out sick with ‘a virus’ after only one week of school, so I’m concerned about protecting her. CVS still has no kids’ shots. I heard from a small private pharmacy nearby that they are expecting kids’ shots in by Wednesday, so if I can do it that way I will. Otherwise, it will be another road trip across state lines.”
Iowans get a ‘no’
One Iowa woman wrote: “I’m under 65 and in Iowa and was told at the local HyVee pharmacy today that I needed a prescription from my doctor. They said that might change around the 19th – if the CDC miraculously provides some updated guidance – but for now, I can’t get without prescription. I wonder if that’s for over 65?”
My experience in Iowa: I’m over 65 and understood that I could get a vaccine with no problems. Here’s what happened: The UnityPoint Health location in Grinnell, Iowa, said on Monday, Sept. 8, that they did not have vaccines yet. The representative said local pharmacies might have it, but “the rules have changed this year” and a person wanting a vaccine might need a doctor’s note.
The local Hy-Vee pharmacy said people over 65 and with certain health conditions are eligible; all must have a doctor’s note right now, she said, though that may change after the ACIP meets. The Walmart pharmacy said the same thing — everybody needs a prescription, at least for now.
Success and frustration
(Updated, Sept. 10) A woman who is under 65 and lives in Hoboken, N.J., wrote by email on Sept. 10: “Walgreens in NJ not asking for proof after self-declaration, either. Yesterday, when I asked about eligibility for a non-high risk under 65 years of age, the pharmacist gave me a big wink wink. I’m scheduled for Saturday. “
That same day, a New Jersey woman wrote: “I’m in Montclair, and while my small pharmacy doesn’t have the vaccine yet, the pharmacist mentioned that as of last night, the State Department declared that a prescription is no longer required. Though it was needed up until two days ago.”
A woman who lives in Westchester County, N.Y., wrote on Tuesday, Sept. 9: “I have received Covid and flu shots at the Super Health Pharmacy in Super Foodtown in Croton-on-Hudson since 2022. I am 77; they have my insurance details on file. (There was no charge to me). After I got the Covid and flu shots, I asked if my daughter (she is 40) could get a Covid shot. The answer was no unless she has an underlying health issue. It’s clear that Gov. Hochul’s decree has not filtered down – or hadn’t as of Monday. The pharmacist … was apologetic about my daughter.”
(Update, Sept. 10:) There were definitely some bright spots. One Westchester woman wrote: “This year (Sunday) it was so easy! Last year it was a nightmare but we made an appointment maybe an hour or two before, walked into Target, the pharmacist had to make a quick call since the NY rules changed what the federal government had put into place…literally 10 minutes later we were done and had the flu and covid heart bandaids! Didn’t have to fill out additional paperwork, CVS emailed me the vaccination records update – didn’t have to ask – but I need for my work so this was great. Super easy. Last year it cost me $250 per person – $500 for the two of us for flu and covid.”
Another woman from southern Westchester wrote on Sept. 10: “In and out of CVS. No line.”
Another: “My husband and I went to CT before NY opened up. He’s under 65. Pharmacist just asked if he had a condition. He answered yes and was good to go.”
Another: “Even though there’s an executive order, I’m having a heck of a time trying to find information, a link, an FAQ — something — leading me to book an appointment. No dice. At least I got my flu shot today at work.”
On Sept. 10, a Brooklyn woman wrote: “I made the appointment the day (Tuesday) before I got the shot (today, Wed. Sept 10) and there were plenty of free slots on the day of. CVS is located inside the Target on Church Ave. in Flatbush. (2101 Church Ave., Bklyn, 11226). And it’s covered by my insurance, which is a retirement plan combining BCBS and Medicare.”
More successes in N.Y.
(Update Sept. 11) A Rochester woman wrote: “Got my COVID booster Monday at a Walgreens.”
Another in Westchester: “My infant is scheduled for next week, I will be sure to follow up with you!”
A California woman wrote: “Just a small story (out of CA) for individuals looking for the vax. I was at my pediatrician yesterday and she did offer me the vax as they just got their supply. If you have small children in your life and are struggling for access, this could be another avenue perhaps?”
An Asheville, N.C., woman wrote on Sept. 10: “My pharmacy just called me, expecting Moderna doses tomorrow. I had brought in an Rx today. (64.) Asheville Compounding Pharmacy in NC. Hope they still have doses at the end of next week, when I have free time to recover.”
Another wrote: “I (40) was able to get a Covid vaccine in AZ at a CVS Minute Clinic. Walgreens required a prescription, so that was a dead end. ONLY CVS locations with Minute Clinics were offering the Covid vaccine, you couldn’t just get it through the pharmacy. The online sign up asked if I was ‘high risk.’ I answered yes. The PA who gave me the vaccine asked what my high risk condition was, and I told her, but she did nothing to confirm whether what I said was true or not. (I don’t usually use CVS, so she didn’t have any of my medical/prescription history.)”
Another: “News from Virginia from today’s Virginia Mercury: ‘In recent days, residents of Virginia and other states began to need a prescription from their primary care provider in order to get a COVID vaccine, a change prompted by shifting federal requirements. An order the Virginia Department of Health issued Wednesday now makes it easier for eligible Virginians to get vaccines in the weeks ahead.
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently ended broad emergency authorizations for COVID vaccines that have been in place since vaccines first rolled out for the global pandemic. Under that new federal rule, health care providers and pharmacists could no longer freely offer COVID shots to the public. The new standing order allows Virginians 18 and older to still receive vaccines, sans prescription.”
Another; “(65+ in Illinois) I scheduled an appointment for flu & Covid shots for next week at Walgreens, no problem. I assume it will go smoothly.”
Another: “65+ in Oregon, prescription required for now, but pharmacy nurse suggested it could change soon. I have requested prescription from my doc, expecting approval.”
‘Lot of confusion’ but some answers
Another Oregon woman added on Facebook: “LeCare has mRNA vaccines now and doesn’t require prescriptions. From what I’ve read on vaccines hunters groups. I want novavax so im waiting a bit. Last shot in may though… There is a lot of confusion about what is required. Historically, that wasn’t needed. The Oregon pharmacy regulators went rogue this week and created a big mess. Worth a call to LeCare. I know people have gotten it there.
“kids shots I can’t find and I’m really mad at the governor since we are behind California and Washington again!”
Another asked if she could go to Vancouver, and she replied: “yes. I haven’t managed to find anything there yet, but I also haven’t looked super-hard yet.”
Washington to Md.
The Washington Post reported on a man who found his vaccine with a little work.
“In Washington, D.C., Vernon Stewart, a 59-year-old retired parking enforcement officer, spent Wednesday riding his bike to see a doctor to get a prescription for the vaccine and to find a pharmacy where he could get it, only to be told the shot was not available,” David Ovalle and Paige Winfield Cunningham wrote for The Post.
“At one CVS, Stewart was seated in the chair with his sleeve rolled up when a nurse emerged to tell him his Medicaid insurance plan didn’t cover it.
“On Friday morning, he hopped on the Metro train to Temple Hills, in Maryland — a state where CVS is not requiring prescriptions. He didn’t have to show his insurance card and paid nothing for the shot. He left with a bandage on his arm and a free bag of popcorn.”
State workarounds
States are using their powers to set state-specific rules. In New York, Hochul signed an executive order on Friday, Sept. 5, allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer vaccines to people who request them, Politico reported. Her disaster declaration, good until Oct. 5, allows vaccine administration to anyone age 3 and up. Hochul is reportedly considering a longer-range fix.
In Massachusetts, the state is requiring insurers to cover the cost of Covid shots and other vaccines recommended by state health officials. “Under the state’s order, anyone six months or older can get a Covid shot,” WCVB reported. “People age 5 or older can get it from a doctor or pharmacist, while younger children must get it through a pediatrician. The state is also requiring insurance companies to cover the shots.” Demand is high, one pharmacist said.
New Mexico issued a public health order removing federal restrictions to Covid vaccine access, so pharmacies in the state can vaccinate people of all ages and risk profiles. The revised protocols, announced Friday, mean “pharmacists can prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines using state health department guidelines instead of waiting for federal recommendations,” a health department news release said, according to SourceNM.
Western states unite
California, Oregon and Washington created their own health alliance to review scientific data on vaccines, saying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has become “a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science.” Hawaii also joined.
Hours later, “Florida announced it was going in a starkly different direction: The surgeon general said the state would end all vaccine mandates, including for children to attend schools, claiming in a news conference that each mandate ‘drips with disdain and slavery,'” The New York Times reported. “Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, a Republican, endorsed the plan, though it was not immediately clear whether it would require legislative input.”
The Times reported: “’Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body?’ Dr. Ladapo, a vocal denigrator of vaccines, said to applause during an event on Wednesday in Valrico, Fla., near Tampa. ‘Your body is a gift from God.’”
Trump seemed in public statements to be on both sides of the issue. Commenting on the Florida move, he said: “It’s a tough stance. You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all and I think those vaccines should be used. Otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people…I think people should take it.”
Then he posted a video on Truth Social saying all vaccines are poison.
The American College of Gynecologists issued a statement saying that despite the C.D.C.’s actions, the group still recommends that pregnant people get vaccinated. This move came shortly after the American Association of Pediatrics also dissented from the C.D.C., recommending that children from 6 to 23 months get vaccinated.
State-by-state regulations were input into a chart (see above) by Lucky Tran, director of science communications at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He wrote in a LinkedIn post:
“States where you can get the vaccine without a prescription:
“AL, AK, AR, CA, CT, DE, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, ND, NH, NJ, OH, OK, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WI, WY [Note: I am in Iowa, and I was told prescriptions are required.]
“States that issued executive orders so that you can get a COVID vaccine without a prescription: CO, MA, NM, NY, PA
“States that still have COVID vaccine prescription requirements (call your reps!): AZ, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, ME, NC, NV, OR, UT, VA, WV
“This information was up to date as of September 5, but please note this is a fluid situation and things are changing quickly on a state by state basis.
“UPDATE: The Board of Pharmacy in NV made a statement making vaccines available with a prescription. The Board of Pharmacy in OR downgraded their access to needing a prescription.”
What you can do
The situation is murky now, and it seems to be changing. Here are some options.
- Ask another supplier; if Walgreen’s won’t do it, maybe CVS will.
- Ask your doctor for a prescription.
- Travel to a nearby state, or get your vaccine while you’re on a planned trip to another state. State mandates may still change.
- If your doctor won’t write a prescription, maybe another will. Some people told us their doctors were sympathetic to their desire for a vaccine, even if the pharmacy wasn’t.
- Watch social media. Our Maplewood friend found out about CVS on social media. It is startling to say that social media can be more dependable than government, but there you have it.
- The Vaccine Hunters groups on Facebook are full of suggestions. Here’s the Chicago one. Here’s the Bay Area one. Here’s the Maryland one.
- Ask friends and neighbors. People are finding creative solutions.
(Have you tried to get a Covid vaccine lately? Tell us what happened: Email jeanne@clearhealthcosts.com.)
