CVS Limits Availability Of COVID-19 Jab In Over A Dozen States

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CVS has limited the availability of COVID-19 jabs to patients in 16 states and the District of Columbia.

The 16 states affected are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Residents of Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico are currently unable to receive a COVID-19 jab at CVS, even if they have a doctor’s prescription.

In the other 13 states, patients can receive a COVID-19 jab at CVS if they have a prescription.

The Independent has more:

Amy Thibault, a spokesperson for CVS, said on Thursday that the vaccine is not available in 16 states due to the “current regulatory environment” in the federal government and unclear messaging from the Food and Drug Administration.

On Friday, the company issued an update to her comment, saying that it could administer the vaccines in 13 of the 16 states and the District of Columbia, so long as those seeking the shots had a prescription from a doctor or other medical provider, according to the New York Times.

In Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico, CVS pharmacies cannot offer the shots to anyone under any circumstances, Thibault said.

Walgreens offered a statement as well, noting that its pharmacists were “prepared to offer the vaccine in states where we are able to do so” so long as recipients meet the newly narrowed FDA criteria determining who qualifies for the shot.

Earlier this week, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 jab was “rescinded.”

Emergency Use Authorization For COVID-19 Jab “Rescinded,” RFK Jr. Says

“In a series of FDA actions today we accomplished all four goals. The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded,” RFK Jr. explained.

“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,” he continued.

“The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three,” he added.

“The FDA recently revoked the emergency use authorization for three COVID vaccinations while simultaneously greenlighting four new COVID-19 vaccines with 2025 and 2026 formulas,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

“The reason for the revocation of that emergency use authorization is because obviously the COVID pandemic and the public health emergency is over,” she continued.

“Just to correct the record cause there’s been a lot of misinformation on this, the FDA’s decision does not affect the availability of COVID vaccines for Americans who want them. We believe in individual choice,” Leavitt added.

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WSB-TV noted:

CVS told Channel 2 Action News they “expect to receive the updated 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days. We’ll administer FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines in states where legally permitted at CVS Pharmacy and/or MinuteClinic to meet our patients’ needs.”

For patients interested in appointments can be scheduled online, through their app or with walk-ins at pharmacies or clinics.

Adding additional clarification, a CVS spokeswoman said that in Georgia, “prescriptions are required for all ages that our pharmacists can vaccinate in Georgia. No COVID-19 vaccinations can be given without a prescription from an authorized provider. Once ACIP (the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) approves, that will likely end.”

“Federal officials in the US say that Covid-19 vaccines remain available to everyone, despite new restrictions on the groups that they’re approved for. But experts suggest that claim is misleading, as the more narrow approval may raise significant barriers to access for many Americans,” CNN wrote.

“On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid-19 vaccines specifically for seniors and younger people who have health conditions that put them at higher risk from Covid-19 – a much more limited approach than earlier approvals that greenlit the shots for everyone ages 6 months and older,” it added.



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