No prescription required: CDC advisers recommend patients consult with doctor before COVID shot

Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously on Friday to recommend that people who want to receive a Covid-19 vaccine can do so, but they must first consult with a health care provider, a process known as shared clinical decision-making. The committee was continuing to debate other questions, including whether a prescription should be required for vaccination.

That applies to adults 65 and older. It should be the same for people ages 6 months to 64 years, the vaccine advisers voted, but with “an emphasis that the risk-benefit of vaccination is most favorable for individuals who are at an increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease and lowest for individuals who are not at an increased risk, according to the CDC list of COVID-19 risk factors.”

The US Food and Drug Administration has already made significant changes to this season’s shots by limiting approval to adults 65 and older as well as younger people who are at higher risk of severe Covid-19.

The vote by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices carries additional implications for vaccine access since some states adhere closely to the committee’s recommendations. The result may be a patchwork of vaccine access from state to state, depending on who is able to administer vaccines.

In a statement, an HHS spokesperson said the vote “provides for immunization coverage through all payment mechanisms including entitlement programs such as Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, and Medicare, as well as insurance plans through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.”

AHIP, formerly America’s Health Insurance Plans, said its members — which provide coverage to more than 200 million Americans — would continue to cover all immunizations that ACIP had recommended as of September 1 at no cost to patients through the end of 2026. This includes the updated Covid-19 and influenza vaccines.

The vaccine committee’s recommendation is not final. It goes to Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill for approval. O’Neill, a Kennedy deputy, has led the agency since Dr. Susan Monarez was ousted abruptly as head of the agency last month.

This is a developing story and will be updated.