Coping with COVID vaccine confusion

COVID cases are rising and so, too, is confusion over who should get a COVID vaccine and whether insurance will cover the cost of the shot.

COVID is a touchy subject these days as changes instituted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have placed vaccine recommendations — for COVID as well as other vaccines — under a cloud of debate and disinformation.

In August, Kennedy narrowed federal government guidelines on who should receive COVID vaccination. The recommendations govern insurance coverage for vaccines. According to the new guidelines, the vaccines are authorized for people 65 and older and for people under age 65 who have an underlying condition, such as asthma or cancer, that put them at risk for complications from COVID.

But, for now, barriers are making the process difficult even for people who have received Kennedy’s blessing for COVID vaccination, such as people 65 and older.

The Fernandina Observer reached out to several doctors’ offices and pharmacy chains for clarification. Here’s an update on local vaccine availability:

• CVS announced in August that it would not offer COVID vaccines in Florida and other states without a prescription from a doctor or medical provider. The Observer tried to schedule a COVID vaccine for an individual over age 65 on the CVS website and was unable to do so, receiving a message stating: “Due to state restrictions or inventory, we’re unable to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine.” However, pharmacists at the CVS at 870 Sadler Rd. confirmed that they will provide COVID vaccines to anyone who comes in with a prescription for the shot.
• COVID vaccination is unavailable at Walgreens, even with a prescription. The Walgreens pharmacy website states: “COVID-19 vaccination appointments are currently unavailable pending approval of updated vaccines for 2025-2026. Once the new vaccines are approved, appointments will be available. Check back soon.”
• While many individual physicians’ offices will provide a prescription for a COVID vaccine for patients who want the shot, few private practices actually provide vaccination on site.

So when might COVID vaccine become available without a prescription? Many pharmacy chains are basing their vaccination policies on recommendations from the committee that advises the CDC: the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).  However, in June, Kennedy fired all 17 members of the ACIP committee and began replacing those members. Some of the new members have expressed distrust of vaccinations. ACIP is scheduled to meet on Sept. 18, but that meeting date is now in doubt. According to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, some lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate have asked for a postponement while questioning the qualifications of newly appointed ACIP members.

Meanwhile, cases of COVID are increasing nationwide, including in Florida, according to the CDC.

Medical groups criticize new restrictions

The restrictions on COVID vaccination is a significant change from previous years when most Americans could easily obtain a yearly COVID vaccine and have the cost covered by insurance. To add to the confusion, most major medical professional groups have blasted Kennedy’s actions, and some groups have issued their own advice to consumers on who should get a COVID vaccine.

For example, while the federal government now says that most children do not need a COVID vaccine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, on Aug. 27, recommended all children ages 6-23 months get vaccinated against COVID-19 along with older children in certain risk groups, “based on evidence on who can benefit the most from the vaccine.”

Kennedy is a long-time vaccine skeptic and has suggested vaccines cause autism in spite of decades of scientific studies that show no association between childhood vaccination and autism. His revamped guidelines are “deeply troubling,” said AAP President Susan J. Kressly, in a statement. “As we enter respiratory virus season, any barrier to COVID-19 vaccination creates a dangerous vulnerability for children and their families,” Kressly said. “Respiratory illnesses can be especially risky for infants and toddlers, whose airways and lungs are small and still developing.”  

Kennedy’s new COVID guidelines also state that pregnant women do not need the vaccine. However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a statement strongly recommending COVID vaccination for pregnant individuals. “ACOG continues to recommend that all pregnant and lactating individuals receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine or “booster,” ACOG leaders said in a statement. “COVID-19 infection during pregnancy has historically been associated with an increased risk of severe disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and maternal death.”

In June, the American Medical Association issued an “open letter to the American people,” expressing concern over Kennedy’s management of vaccine recommendations. The statement read in part: “Vaccines for influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 remain among the best tools to protect the public against these illnesses and their potentially serious complications — and physicians are among the most trusted voices to recommend them ... Recent changes to federal immunization review processes raised concerns across the medical and public health community. In this moment of uncertainty, physicians must align around clear, evidence-based guidance for patients.”

Other states still offer COVID shots

COVID vaccination access varies widely across the country. Florida, for example, has emerged in lockstep with Kennedy’s COVID vaccine restructuring. In May, the state Department of Health issued a statement praising the changes that bar COVID vaccination for most healthy children and pregnant women.

In a statement issued early this year, the Florida Department of Health boasted “Florida has played a critical role in shaping the national conversation on this issue. In March 2022, Florida became the first state to formally recommend against COVID-19 mRNA vaccinations for healthy children. In January 2024, Florida became the first state to recommend against the use of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for all populations. According to the National Institutes of Health, COVID vaccines featuring mRNA technology were responsible for the highly successful vaccine program in 2020 and 2021 that helped quell the COVID pandemic. Vaccinations prevented at least 14.4 million deaths, globally, in a single year, according to an NIH analysis. 

COVID vaccination has fallen out of favor with the American public, according to CDC statistics. About 23% of U.S. adults said they got a COVID vaccine last year. Only 13% of children were vaccinated last year. COVID strains evolve, however, and immunity from a vaccine is only effective for a short period of time, according to the NIH.

Both COVID rates and emergency room visits are on the rise this fall. And, while no longer the public health emergency it was in 2020-2021, COVID still exacts a toll on Americans’ health. According to CDC estimates, between Oct. 1, 2024, and Aug. 23, 2025, the nation has experienced:

• 4 to 18.6 million cases of COVID illness
• 9 to 4.3 million outpatient visits related to COVID
• 340,000 to 500,000 COVID-related hospitalizations

39,000 to 57,000 COVID deaths

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