NC becomes latest state to make COVID vaccines available without prescription

North Carolina leaders and state health professionals have worked to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and Gov. Josh Stein issued Standing Orders that allow seniors 65 years or older and adults over 18 years who meet certain criteria to get a COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy without having to get a prescription from a provider.

The order goes into effect immediately. Until now, people have needed that doctor's note in order to get a vaccine.

"Right now, North Carolina is now one of only a handful of states where it’s necessary to get a prescription before they can get a shot at the pharmacy," Stein said. "This is unnecessary red tape. It is time for North Carolina to get in line with other states across the country."

Standing orders give nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers, where allowed by state law, the authorization to access a patient’s immunization status and administer vaccinations. 

In 2024, North Carolina had more than 120,000 emergency department visits for COVID-like illness, resulting in more than 21,600 hospitalizations. The state is following states like New Jersey that are rebuffing efforts by the federal government to curtail the number of people eligible to receive the latest vaccines against the coronavirus.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the current round of COVID-19 vaccines in August. 

"This is about choice," Stein said. "It is not a mandate."

State law states that pharmacists can only issue vaccines without a doctor's note if the vaccines have been recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. That panel doesn't meet until next week - and it's unclear what, if any, restrictions might come with their recommendation.

The new move by the state circumvents that provision in state law.

"The order stands in place of a prescription for people who are 65 and older, and also for adults 18 and older who have at least one high-risk condition," said State Health Director Dr. Larry Greenblatt. "The list of high-risk conditions is very broad and includes obesity, asthma, diabetes, physical inactivity, depression, former or current smoking, and pregnancy among many others."