For some, a COVID-19 vaccine means jumping through hoops or hitting the road

By TOM MURPHY Associated Press Michelle Newmark has tried and failed a couple times to get an updated COVID- vaccine First she was notified she needed a prescription Then she learned that her local CVS drugstore won t have shots for a couple more weeks The Reston Virginia resident was considering a drive to Maryland to get vaccinated before a friend recounted her of a closer CVS that was booking appointments What was once a simple process has become a whole different beast this year Newmark announced Related Articles California Oregon and Washington governors form general wellness alliance in rebuke of Trump administration Florida plans to become first state to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates FDA approves updated COVID- shots but limits access for selected kids and adults Kennedy s anti-vaccine strategy risks forcing shots off region manufacturers warn Vaccine situation will be complicated this year experts warn It s very frustrating that I can t get a vaccine that I feel should be widely available like it invariably has been at the past she stated The debut of updated COVID- vaccines has gotten off to a clunky start in countless states Limits on who can get the shots and prescription requirements are confusing customers and leaving particular people worried about whether they will get protection from the virus this fall Wellness Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has insisted that everyone who wants a shot still can get one after consulting with a professional but he also stated a Senate committee hearing Thursday that this access depends on the states The situation is changing daily and varies by state And it may take time for vaccine-seekers to understand how the system works now for them We anticipate it will get to be a little bit more of a smooth road in the coming weeks revealed Brigid Groves a vice president with the American Pharmacists Association In the meantime challenges are cropping up and specific patients are hitting the road to get vaccinated Lee Yarosh made plans to drive about miles from Ossining New York to a Fairfield Connecticut drugstore to get vaccinated because the -year-old retiree couldn t schedule a vaccine closer to home On Friday New York Gov Kathy Hochul signed an executive order allowing pharmacists to administer the vaccine to patients as young as But Yarosh is keeping his Monday appointment in Connecticut because he demands the vaccination ahead of a trip to Europe Chris Stone noted he tried about five times to book a COVID- shot appointment online at his usual drugstore but he was only allowed to schedule a flu vaccination The -year-old Richmond Virginia resident stated he expects to get the shot from his physician during a checkup next month But he doesn t want to wait that long If they fiddle around too long it s going to be really hard to get the coverage you want during the winter season Stone revealed The bulk Americans get their COVID- vaccines at drugstores and multiple seek shots in the late summer or early fall to get protection against any winter surges in cases Pharmacists in most of states can administer updated vaccinations without a prescription thanks to approval of the shots from the Food and Drug Administration last week But several states are requiring prescriptions which are normally not needed for vaccines as they wait for a recommendation on the shots from a committee that advises the Centers for Sickness Control and Prevention That committee won t meet until later this month Certain states including Pennsylvania and New Mexico were waiting for that recommendation before allowing pharmacists to give the vaccines But they have since changed rules to let pharmacists start vaccinating sooner Before that Pennsylvania drugstore owner Marc Ost stated his store fielded more than calls from customers asking about the COVID- shots His pharmacists couldn t administer the shots until the state changed the rules on Wednesday There s been a lot of confusion as to what we can and can t do and a lot unclear guidance noted Ost co-owner of Eric s RX Shoppe in Horsham outside Philadelphia As of Friday morning CVS Fitness the nation s largest drugstore chain announced its pharmacists can provide vaccines without a prescription in states Prescriptions are required in states plus Washington D C but its pharmacists cannot give the shots in Nevada In specific states where CVS runs in-store clinics customers can get vaccinated there even if they can t get a shot at the store pharmacy counter spokesperson Amy Thibault explained She noted that the pharmacies and clinics are governed by different regulators New limits on who can get a vaccine also are raising questions among customers Previously in the U S the vaccines were recommended for people ages months and older But the new FDA approval limits the shots for people age and older and those younger who have a healthcare condition that makes them high-risk for a serious affair of COVID- Doctors and pharmacists say they still expect multiple people to qualify for the shots because the list of conditions that would make someone high-risk is long It includes ex-smokers and people who are physically inactive And pharmacists will mostly rely on the victim s word that they have a condition that makes them eligible for a shot Even so the fact that there are now limitations worries Jen Spector The -year-old Doylestown Pennsylvania resident should easily qualify for a shot because she has diabetes rheumatoid arthritis and specific other diagnostic conditions Still Spector says she s nervous that someone will turn her down when she tries to get vaccinated If I get sick it could take my body a year to heal from all this she disclosed My immune system is crap Associated Press reporter Anthony Izaguirre contributed from Albany New York The Associated Press Wellness and Science Department receives advocacy from the Howard Hughes Anatomical Institute s Science and Educational Media Group The AP is solely 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