Seniors in some parts of the country say they are being denied COVID-19 vaccinations as a wave of cases continues, leading to growing frustration over new Trump administration policies that make it harder to get shots.
Matthew D'Amico, 67, of New York, said Walgreens refused to administer COVID-19 vaccines to him and his 75-year-old wife on Friday because they did not have a prescription. They try to get vaccinated before traveling.
“I can’t believe we can’t get” a vaccine, D’Amico said in an interview. “I've been vaccinated several times and I've never had to get a prescription. And it's very frustrating that this is where we are.”
He is not alone in his irritation. Under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, federal agencies have effectively made it harder to get vaccinated against COVID-19 this year. The Food and Drug Administration has “approved” COVID-19 vaccines only for people age 65 and older and younger people with underlying health conditions.
This means that across the country, people under 65 interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine must now either consult a doctor or “certify” with a pharmacy that they have an underlying medical condition. It's a potential hurdle that could make it difficult to get the vaccine and, some health experts fear, prompt more Americans to refuse to get vaccinated.
However, as D'Amico can attest, being part of a group for which a COVID vaccine is “approved” does not necessarily guarantee easy access.
“So that I go to primary school [healthcare provider] getting a prescription now is ridiculous,” D’Amico said.
At least some people under 65 experience pharmacy employees who ask leading questions about their health status.
It happened Friday at a CVS in Orange County, according to Alex Benson, 34, who takes medications that suppress his immune system.
Beyond just protecting himself, he wanted to get the vaccine because he has family members who are at high risk if they contract COVID — his mother is immunocompromised and his mother-in-law had open-heart surgery Thursday night.
Benson said the employee asked why he thought he was eligible for the vaccine.
“They either asked me for a prescription or wanted to know … why I felt like I needed the vaccine,” Benson said. At one point, the employee suggested calling his doctor to get approval for the vaccine.
Benson said he became alarmed by the questions and began to “feel somewhat desperate trying to get help from the pharmacist.” Later, another CVS employee came over and said that there was no need for additional answers and that it was enough to just confirm that he was eligible. He eventually received the vaccine.
However, he found the experience disturbing.
“I think easy access should be policy,” Benson said. “I don't tend to get too political, but it seems to me that this is the way an anti-regulatory administration is using regulation. They are supposed to remove barriers to health care.”
The vaccine chaos comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are either increasing or beginning to peak in late summer. California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Indiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Connecticut, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Hawaii and Alaska, as well as the District of Columbia, are currently experiencing “very high” levels of the coronavirus in wastewater, according to data released Friday.
Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, chief medical officer for Kaiser Permanente Southern California's regional infectious disease division, said data continues to show an increase in COVID-19 cases.
“Over the last week, we have seen an increase in outpatient COVID cases and even a small number of inpatient cases,” Hudson said. “It looks like we're approaching the top of the wave, but it may be another two weeks or so before we really know if we're there.”
The rate at which laboratory tests for COVID-19 confirm infection also continues to increase across the state and in the Los Angeles area. For the week ending August 30, California's COVID test positivity rate was 12.83%, up from 7.05% for the week ending August 2. In Los Angeles County, the test positivity rate was 14.83%, down from 9.33%.
However, other data suggests some areas may have reached a summer peak in Covid-19 cases.
In Orange County, the positivity rate for COVID-19 tests was 13.1%. This is down from the previous week's rate of 18%, but still higher than the 10.8% rate for the week ending August 2.
In San Francisco, the test positivity rate was 8.1% for the week ending Aug. 30. This was down from the previous week's rate of 8.7%, but still higher than the 5.8% recorded for the week ending August 2.
Additionally, Los Angeles County wastewater data shows coronavirus levels are down slightly from the previous week.
“It is too early to tell whether this decline in virus concentrations in wastewater is the first sign that COVID-19 activity is peaking, or whether it is a regular fluctuation typical of this data source,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising in California, with the latest rate of 3.93 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, up from 2.38.
But they remain relatively low across the state and in Los Angeles County. The number of Los Angeles County residents seeking care for COVID-related illnesses or being hospitalized is “slightly lower than during the summer surges in 2023 and 2024,” the county Department of Public Health said.
However, the relatively mild summer wave could mean the annual fall/winter COVID wave could be stronger. IN JulyThe state Department of Public Health said scientists expect California to see either a larger summer wave of COVID or a larger winter wave.
The current confusion over federal COVID vaccine policy is compounded by the chaos at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where Kennedy earlier this year fired all members of the powerful Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and engineered the ouster of CDC Director Susan Monares just 29 days after she was confirmed to the position by the Senate.
Some of Kennedy's committee picks criticized vaccines and spread misinformation, according to Associated Press. And the new interim director of the CDC – Jim O'Neill, Kennedy's deputy – critic sanitary regulations and has no education in medicine or health care, AP reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not issued its own guidance on who should get the shots, and that inaction has led to residents in several states having to get prescriptions from a health care provider for at least the next couple of weeks. In some cases, this is true even for older people, D'Amico found.
As of Friday, CVS said people need a prescription, sometimes depending on their age, to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.
As of Friday, CVS couldn't even offer COVID-19 vaccines at its Nevada pharmacies; They were only available on MinuteClinic sites, according to spokeswoman Amy Thibault.
CVS said it plans to offer COVID-19 vaccines without prescriptions “soon” at its pharmacies in New Mexico, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania due to recent regulatory changes in each state.
“Right now, all patients in all states must certify that they are eligible for the vaccine in order to schedule an appointment online,” Thibault said. If an adult says they don't have any medical conditions but have a doctor's prescription for “off-label” use of the vaccine, they can get the shot, she confirmed.
On Thursday, Hawaii joined California, Washington and Oregon in creating the West Coast Health Alliance, an interstate agreement designed to provide evidence-based immunization recommendations as an alternative to the CDC.
“Together, these states will provide science-based immunization recommendations based on safety, effectiveness and transparency, ensuring residents receive reliable information without political interference,” according to the statement statement from the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The statement said the Trump administration is essentially “dismantling” the CDC.
“The lack of consistent, science-based federal leadership poses a direct threat to our nation's health security,” the statement said. “To protect the health of our communities, the West Coast Health Alliance will continue to ensure that our public health strategies are based on the best available scientific knowledge.”
However, it was not immediately clear whether the creation of the West Coast Health Alliance would make it easier for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine at the nation's largest pharmacies, where many people get their shots.
Major medical groups such as American Academy of Pediatrics And American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologistsare offering their own recommendations to individuals and families regarding which vaccines they should receive.
