Getting the latest COVID-19 vaccine, especially for free, is proving to be more difficult this year. Under new Food and Drug Administration restrictions, the vaccine is limited to those 65 and older and at high risk of getting severely ill from COVID.
Individual states and providers are responding to these restrictions in slightly different ways, however, and the conditions that could qualify someone as ‘high risk’ are wide-ranging.
A list on the CDC’s website includes conditions like immunodeficiency, asthma, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. But it also includes risk factors like ‘physical inactivity,’ as well as smoking or being a former smoker – whether or not you have been diagnosed with any related illnesses.
Pregnancy is also a risk factor – though under the current administration, it has been dropped from recommended routine vaccine schedules for pregnant people. Mental health conditions like depression are also considered high risk factors.
Dr. Mona Gahunia, infectious diseases physician and associate medical director of Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic, says that the best thing you can do is consult with your doctor.
“The list is so extensive, some patients might not even realize that they have an underlying condition,” Gahunia says. “It’s going to be very important this season to really have a conversation with your doctor.”
A doctor’s note would help ensure you’re not turned away when you get your vaccine, Gahunia says. If you can’t see a doctor in-person, Gahunia says even written communication from one could be helpful.
COVID-19 may not be the emergency it was just a few years ago (rates remain low in D.C., Virginia and Maryland) but Gahunia says she’s been seeing an uptick in infections at Kaiser (Maryland, where Gahunia primarily practices, has seen a slight rise in cases since the summer). That could get worse as winter comes up, when respiratory illness tends to thrive.
“I think immunity has definitely waned at this point for many people,” she says.
Dr. Dana Mueller, an internal medicine physician at Mary’s Center – a community health center located in D.C. and Maryland – says she is always concerned about hospital capacity, and more COVID cases could take a toll on already busy emergency rooms. And with less immunity in a population, more people can get sick.
“The overwhelming evidence around the COVID vaccine suggests that they are safe for the vast majority of people,” Mueller says. “Vaccination is good for the community.”
She notes that the new restrictions do not bar clinicians from using their best judgment.
“The barrier that is being placed is not in my recommending the vaccine to my patients,” Mueller says. “It’s in having it be available to them at low or no cost.”
Doctors like Mueller are waiting for recommendations by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that would determine who may have to pay for vaccines going forward. The committee is meeting later this week.
Federal and state regulations are rapidly evolving. Here’s the latest:
D.C.
In D.C., whatever your age or health conditions, you’ll need a prescription from a licensed provider to get vaccinated. But D.C. Councilmembers are considering an emergency bill that would strike down that requirement. The bill is expected to pass Wednesday.
In the meantime, D.C. residents without access to a provider could travel elsewhere in the region.
Maryland
You do not need a prescription to get the COVID vaccine in Maryland, thanks to a 2024 state law. The Maryland Department of Health says that residents should continue to have access to the vaccine if they want one and that it’s “exploring all options to make sure that doesn’t change.”
Even so, you may still need to be prepared to prove your eligibility under the new federal restrictions. That might simply be a matter of self-attesting that you have an underlying condition.
Mueller says that shouldn’t be a complicated process at a pharmacy like CVS (which does not require prescriptions in Maryland and Virginia).
“The pharmacist isn’t gonna look at you and go, ‘eh, you don’t look overweight.’ Or ‘you don’t look depressed. You’re smiling too much,’” Mueller says. “Their guidelines, their rules, will permit them to take your word for it.”
But the state health department says individual locations may have their own screening processes, and recommends that you consult your healthcare provider or pharmacy about your eligibility before making an appointment.
You also do not need to be a resident of Maryland to get vaccinated there, but the individual location you go to may have its own policies on residency requirements or taking new clients.
Virginia
Under a standing order that Virginia’s state health commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton issued Sept. 10, Virginia residents do not need prescriptions to get the COVID vaccine if they’re eligible under the new federal restrictions and 18 years or older.
“We are resolved to increase access to the updated formulation of the COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible Virginians,” said Shelton.
Like in Maryland, you may still need to go through a screening process like self-attesting depending on individual location. The health department encourages people who are not eligible or under 18 to consult their healthcare provider about their eligibility.
The department also says you do not need proof of Virginia residency to get vaccinated there.
The post How to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine in the D.C. region appeared first on WAMU.
Published Date : 2025-09-17 16:19:00
Source : wamu.org
