The process of getting a Covid shot isn’t as simple as it used to be. In fact, it now comes with an extra step — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you’ll need to talk with a health care provider before getting vaccinated.
The change comes after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel earlier this year and replaced them with his own picks — several of whom have publicly questioned the safety of Covid vaccines. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has falsely called the Covid vaccine “the deadliest vaccine ever made,” also moved in May to limit access to the shots, bypassing the usual regulatory process to end CDC recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women.
Here’s a closer look at what’s different this year — and what to know before you make an appointment.
What’s changed about getting a Covid shot?
On Monday, Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill announced new guidance from the agency’s vaccine advisory panel, recommending that everyone — no matter their age or health — check in with a health care provider before getting the latest Covid shot.
That doesn’t just mean your doctor. The CDC says “health care provider” can include anyone who gives or administers vaccines, like pharmacists, specialists, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants.
Their job is to help you weigh the risks and benefits before you roll up your sleeve. As Dr. O’Neill put it, deciding whether to get vaccinated “should be based on a person’s individual health factors — things that go beyond just age — as well as the characteristics of the vaccine itself and the best evidence available about who’s most likely to benefit.”
Some doctors, including retired New York physician Dr. Jesse Hackell, have pushed back on the implication that they don’t already do this. “To make a statement that informed consent is back implies that it had gone away. In no way has it gone away,” he told the Associated Press.
Who’s eligible for a vaccine?
Both the FDA and CDC have weighed in on who can get the Covid shot, but in different ways that have led to some added confusion.
In August, the FDA limited vaccine authorization to adults 65 and older and people with certain health risks, meaning younger, healthy adults can still get the shot, but only after consulting a provider. The CDC followed with new guidance advising everyone to talk with a health care provider before getting vaccinated. In short, the FDA decides who can get the vaccine, while the CDC recommends who should — and together, those changes mark a more individualized approach to Covid vaccination than in past years.
Still, that doesn’t mean everyone else is shut out. Under the CDC’s latest guidance, people under 65 can get the shot — they just need to talk with a doctor or pharmacist first to make sure it’s right for them.
Is Covid vaccine access the same everywhere?
Not exactly — it largely depends on where you live.
In past years, most states followed the CDC’s vaccine guidance. But this time, the approach looks more like a patchwork. Before the agency’s latest announcement, at least 26 states — mostly those with Democratic governors — had already set their own Covid shot policies to keep access as broad as possible, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy group.
For example, Illinois, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., recommend vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. Others, like California, Michigan, and Minnesota, recommend it for anyone 3 and up.
Some experts say this fractured approach could make it harder to protect the public from infectious diseases like Covid. “The last thing you want as a strategy is to protect different states differently,” Dr. Ofer Levy, who leads the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, told NBC. “It’s confusing, it’s inconsistent, and it leaves certain people vulnerable.”
The best thing you can do is check with your pharmacy or doctor to see if the updated vaccines are in stock. Both CVS and Walgreens say they’re now offering them nationwide, no prescription needed.
Does insurance cover the shot?
Most people should be able to get the Covid vaccine for free this year, regardless of what type of insurance they have.
Medicare, Medicaid, and other government health programs will continue to cover the shots at no cost, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. And if you have private insurance, don’t worry — you should be covered, too. Ahead of the CDC’s meeting, the health insurance trade group AHIP said private plans will still cover all vaccines the CDC had recommended as of Sept. 1, including the Covid shot for everyone 6 months and older.
Should you get one?
With colder weather on the way, it might not be a bad idea. Winter tends to be prime time for Covid — the virus thrives in cold, dry air, and we all spend more time indoors, where it spreads more easily. With flu and RSV also making the rounds, a shot could help you dodge at least one bug this winter.
A Covid shot won’t necessarily keep you from getting sick at all, but it can lower your risk of severe illness. The updated shots are designed to protect against the newest variants, such as the XFG (Stratus) and the earlier LP.8.1, because vaccine makers update them annually to target circulating strains.
Just keep in mind that it takes a couple of weeks for your body to build up protection after the jab.
