For the first time since the pandemic, most Virginians under 65 will need a doctor’s prescription to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine.
On Aug. 27, the Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency authorization for COVID-19 vaccines and narrowed eligibility, which means only people 65 and older or those “in higher risk” are eligible for the updated Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax shots.
Healthy adults under 65 will no longer be able to walk into a pharmacy for a shot without a doctor’s prescription.
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services secretary, announced the updated guideline on X, he did not define what qualifies as “high risk.” The CDC, however, listed a wide range of conditions that raise vulnerability to severe illness, such as asthma, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, mood disorders and a history of smoking.
The change puts pharmacies and doctor’s offices in a difficult spot, as patients face new paperwork and confusion just as flu and COVID vaccination season begins.
Janice Hawkins, a nursing professor and vice provost at Old Dominion University, said the extra step may discourage people from staying up to date on their shots.
“Research shows that the more people that have access and availability to vaccines and have the opportunity to get vaccinated is better for all of us,” Hawkins said. “We have better public health outcomes when we’re all vaccinated.”
She pointed to the recent measles outbreak in Virginia Beach as a reminder of how quickly preventable diseases can resurface when immunization rates fall.
Anna Peoples, owner of the Peoples pharmacy in Norfolk, said the new rule has already prompted a wave of calls from customers asking if they qualify.
She said that in the past, people could simply walk in, sign paperwork and get vaccinated. Now, patients must first obtain a prescription — often after scheduling an appointment.
“So that's going to create a barrier to folks receiving that care,” Peoples said.
Peoples said some insurers are no longer covering the shots, meaning patients may have to pay out of pocket.
National chains such as CVS and Walgreens say they are following federal guidance.
The 2025–2026 formulation, now shipping to pharmacies and providers, is designed to better match the strains expected to circulate this season.
In Virginia, pharmacists can only give vaccines listed on the CDC’s immunization schedule, which still references the 2024–2025 COVID-19 formulation. That means younger, healthy adults must go through their doctor for now, until the CDC’s advisory panel meets later this month to vote on adding the new vaccine.
