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Georgians should now be able to get the updated Covid vaccines at pharmacies without a prescription after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the latest federal guidelines.
The same goes for access at county health departments, the state Department of Public Health said in a Tuesday press release.
In line with federal guidance announced Monday, “health department nurses or other providers will counsel patients on the risk-benefit of the vaccine based not only on age but other health conditions or considerations an individual may have,” DPH said.
Disruptions to the usual process for recommending who should receive the vaccines caused weeks of confusion over the availability of the shots, which started arriving in pharmacies in late August.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices didn’t meet until September to vote on who should receive the shots, so many pharmacies were requiring a prescription.
Georgia law is tied to the ACIP recommendation. The panel decided to allow people to decide for themselves whether to get the shot, in consultation with a health care provider or pharmacist. Now that the ACIP recommendation has been approved by the CDC, people can get the vaccine without a prescription, and most insurance plans will cover it at no cost to patients.
“We are able to give the vaccine now without a prescription. We just have to have a convo with the patient and review the screening form,” said Dr. Johnathan Hamrick, an Atlanta pharmacist who serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Pharmacy Association. “This is no different than how our pharmacies approach any vaccine.”
Some county health departments have started offering the shots, according to a DPH press release, and the departments are ordering a supply under federal programs to distribute for free or low cost to low-income children and adults.
The cost for uninsured adults will vary depending on the situation and location, DPH spokesperson Eric Jens said.
People who want to get the vaccine at their local health department should call in advance to ensure the shots are in stock, the press release said.
National pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens confirmed they are offering the shot without a prescription in Georgia.
Dr. Ashley Chinchilla, a professor at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, hailed the move.
“I’m glad patients will once again have access to Covid-19 vaccines without a prescription,” she said. The ACIP recommendation is “not quite the same as a universal recommendation,” Chinchilla said, but adults can still get the shot at pharmacies as in past years.
Ninety percent of American adults got their Covid shots in pharmacies during last year’s respiratory season, according to CDC data.
For people without insurance, the shots cost around $225 at CVS. A Walgreens spokesperson didn’t have information on its price.
The latest federal guidance does not specifically address Covid vaccines for children. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued recommendations in August that said those age 6 months to 23 months are at high risk of severe Covid and should get the updated vaccine.
Children 2 years old to age 18 who do not have risk factors for severe Covid should also get the shot if their parents want them to, the recommendations say. The AAP recommends that pediatric patients with risk factors like being immunocompromised, living with people who are at high risk or in congregate settings, and not having had the vaccination before get the vaccine.
Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, an Atlanta pediatrician, said she is following those recommendations for her patients.
Georgia’s Covid rate is low based on data from wastewater samples, and emergency department visits for Covid are declining from the summer, according to CDC data. But cases are expected to rise again around the holidays, state epidemiologist Dr. Cherie Drenzek said at a September DPH board meeting.
It’s important to get vaccinated ahead of time, physicians emphasized.
“As we head into fall and winter, during these months in particular, people spend more time indoors, and those respiratory viruses like flu and RSV and Covid spread much more easily because of the close contact,” Dr. Jennifer Brull, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said during a fall media briefing.
“Vaccines help protect not only ourselves but those who are around us, the people we love, older adults, young children, pregnant people, and those who have chronic health conditions.”
Tell us about your experiences in trying to get the new Covid vaccine. Write to Atlanta public health reporter Rebecca Grapevine at rgrapevine@healthbeat.org with your story and questions.
