Patients in Oregon and nationwide have struggled to make appointments for COVID boosters, which in recent years have been a routine fall offering alongside flu shots, after the federal Food and Drug Administration tried to limit who can get the shots.
CVS Pharmacy spokesperson Amy Thibault told the Capital Chronicle on Friday that the company was offering the vaccine in the state, while acknowledging the potential for individual appointment cancellations at its pharmacies. The company has been promoting access without a prescription in the state as recently as last week, when the democratic governors of Oregon, Washington and California announced a “West Coast Health Alliance” aimed at safeguarding access to vaccines.
The state Board of Pharmacy on Friday said it would have more clarity for vaccine access rules after the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets on Sept. 18-19. That’s the first meeting since the FDA issued more restrictive annual guidance in August which limited the vaccine to people aged 65 or older or those with an underlying health condition that would risk severe illness.
Thibault did not respond to follow-up questions about the restrictions Friday, when the Capital Chronicle reported Gov. Tina Kotek is weighing a variety of options to safeguard COVID vaccine access at pharmacies. One option could be a standing order guaranteeing the vaccine to individuals age 6 months or older, similar to one issued in Washington.
But in a statement Tuesday morning, Thibault said the company was shifting course.
“After reviewing clarifying guidance issued last week, we’re only offering updated COVID-19 vaccinations to patients who present a prescription from an authorized prescriber,” she said in a statement. “As a result, appointments cannot currently be scheduled online in Oregon. Patients can walk in to any CVS Pharmacy location, present a prescription and receive the vaccination.”
The new regulations from CVS bring it in line with guidance that has frustrated patients across the state. The Oregon Board of Pharmacy stressed Friday that it would require prescriptions for approval and await more information from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, of which U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy removed all members in June. Kennedy is considering appointing critics of COVID-19 vaccines to the panel, the Washington Post reported Monday.
Pediatrician and state Sen. Lisa Reynolds, D-Portland, urged the state to adopt a standing order and questioned the value of waiting till mid-September for the federal government.
“Waiting until the ACIP meeting (Sept 18-19) will cause unnecessary delays,” she wrote in a statement. “And don’t we expect the ACIP recommendations to mirror the FDA approval?”
