Vaccine Availability Uncertainty: CVS and Walgreens Limit Covid Shots in Dozens of States

Amid the ongoing debate over federal vaccine policy, CVS and Walgreens pharmacies are withholding Covid-19 vaccines in more than a dozen states. The decision is a result of the current regulatory environment and unclear messaging from the Food and Drug Administration. The uncertainty at the pharmacies is linked to the recent insistence on changing vaccine policy by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy, Jr, and the subsequent firing of former CDC head Susan Monarez. President Donald Trump's actions have led to a crisis at the CDC, with scientists and physicians working to piece together replacements for the agency's lost work.

Key Takeaways:

• CVS will require a prescription for those seeking vaccines in 16 states, including the District of Columbia, due to the "current regulatory environment" and unclear messaging from the FDA.
• Walgreens will require prescriptions in 16 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• The states where CVS restricts vaccine access and the states where Walgreens restricts access show some overlap, but there are differences between the states where both pharmacies restrict access.
• Covid vaccine use saw a sharp decline after the pandemic, with only 23% of adults and 13% of children reporting getting an updated Covid vaccine last flu season, according to the CDC.
• Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, calls the move "really unconscionable" and notes that the increasing difficulty of acquiring a vaccine is likely to drive down the number of Americans who take the shots.

Statistics:

• 16 states where CVS will require a prescription for those seeking vaccines (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia).
• 16 states where Walgreens will require prescriptions for vaccines (Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia, and Wisconsin).
• 23% of adults reported getting an updated Covid vaccine last flu season, according to the CDC.
• 13% of children reported getting an updated Covid vaccine last flu season, according to the CDC.

Sources:

• Amy Thibault, CVS spokesperson, in an interview with the New York Times.
• Walgreens statement, as reported in the New York Times.
• CDC data on Covid vaccine use, cited in the New York Times.
• Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, as quoted in the New York Times.