The Centers for Disease Control has updated its immunization guidelines for the COVID-19 vaccine. This year, rather than a blanket recommendation for anyone to receive a vaccine on request, guidelines now call for a patient to have a discussion with a healthcare professional before receiving the vaccination.
In August, the FDA narrowed approval of COVID-19 shots to people 65 and older and those who had at least one underlying condition. The announcement sparked weeks of confusion about who could get the vaccine.
This week, the CDC announced in a news release that it had adopted recommendations from a key advisory panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). These recommendations do not limit vaccine access by age or health conditions but instead call for “vaccination based on shared clinical decision-making” for anyone 6 months and older. This means that patients now must have a conversation with a clinician — which could include doctors, nurses, and pharmacists — before receiving the COVID vaccination to discuss the risks and benefits.
The recommendations emphasize that individuals over age 65 and those with at least one underlying condition benefit the most. Underlying conditions include medical conditions like diabetes and asthma as well as lifestyle factors like physical inactivity and smoking. “It’s a very robust list of conditions, so most people have something actually on that list,” says Dr. Mona Gahunia, an infectious disease physician with Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic.
Who Should Consider the Vaccine?
“Everybody who’s eligible should really consider getting vaccinated for a lot of reasons,” Gahunia says. “Number one, most people actually have a risk factor, and they may not even realize it. Two, if they themselves don’t, they likely live with someone or are in close contact with someone who does.”
Receiving the vaccine can help prevent contracting COVID-19 and lessen the symptoms for those who do contract it, Gahunia says.
October “may be the optimal month to get both your COVID shot and your flu shot,” Gahunia says. “Because we don’t have a lot of flu activity right now, but we’re expecting it’s going to rise in November and December and January. And it’s before the holidays.”
The currently available COVID vaccine is an updated version that aims to better match new strains of the virus. If you didn’t get the shot last year, you can still get it this year. And if you got it late in the year last year, or even over the summer, the recommended minimum interval between doses is two months.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also recommends immunization for pregnant women.
How Can You Get a Vaccine?
You can visit your regular health care provider to receive a vaccination. Updated 2025-2026 vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax are available at many doctor’s offices around the country.
Vaccinations are also available at pharmacies, no prescriptions required. You can call your local pharmacy to learn about specific availability.
Following the CDC’s adoption of the ACIP recommendations, CVS and Walgreens both announced that they would offer the updated COVID-19 vaccine to patients without requiring prescriptions from outside prescribers.
Receiving a vaccine at a pharmacy may now include a more in-depth discussion with the pharmacist, or it could include filling out a questionnaire about risks and benefits, The Washington Post reported. But you will not need to attest to any underlying health conditions in order to receive the vaccine.
And, Gahunia says, it’s not necessary to consult with your doctor before going to get a vaccine at the pharmacy.
“If you have questions, certainly you can message your health care team or your doctor, but you don’t have to talk to your doctor before you get the vaccine,” Gahunia says. “Don’t let that prevent you from getting it. There’s very clear scientific evidence to support it.”
Most forms of insurance should likely still cover vaccines. According to the CDC news release, the individual-based decision-making guidelines mean that immunizations will be covered “through all payment mechanisms, including entitlement programs such as the Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Vaccines for Children Program, as well as insurance plans regulated by the Affordable Care Act.” AHIP, a health insurance trade association, has pledged to cover vaccines at least through the end of 2026.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
