With summer now unofficially behind us and a feeling of fall in the air, you may be wondering whether you can follow your usual fall health routine: that is, being vaccinated against winter’s respiratory viruses. While it appears that an updated influenza vaccine will be available and accessible as usual (with the recommendation of getting your shot in late September/early October), and while there is ever-increasing awareness of the value of getting an RSV vaccine (at least if you are 75 and over or have underlying illness), much remains murky and unsettled when it comes to the COVID-19 booster vaccine. While the FDA recently approved new COVID-19 booster vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax, the approval was for a narrower patient population than in previous years. For many who previously popped into their local pharmacy for the latest booster, that may no longer be possible, at least without overcoming many hurdles. 

As a reminder, COVID continues to be present throughout the United States, and as expected, cases did rise this summer. And as we mentioned in a previous post, the health impacts of COVID can go beyond the immediate respiratory impact, to include such long COVID symptoms as brain fog, along with newly uncovered threats to dormant cancer cells. Moreover, brand new research published in the European Heart Journal reports that a COVID infection may lead to accelerated blood vessel aging, especially in women, causing vessels to stiffen and increase the risk of such cardiovascular diseases as stroke and heart attacks. This artery stiffening was discovered even in more mild COVID cases.  No wonder the American College of Cardiology has issued new guidance recommending that people with cardiovascular disease get vaccinated against respiratory viruses this winter, including the COVID-19 booster. There is also new research linking a higher risk of asthma and chronic sinusitis with a COVID-19 infection, and a lower risk for those same respiratory problems in people vaccinated for COVID-19.

The question remains, then, will you be able to get a new COVID-19 booster in the coming weeks? As mentioned above, the FDA did approve 3 new COVID-19 boosters, which will target the variant LP.8.1, which was declared the dominant strain earlier this year. Pfizer and Moderna said they planned to start shipping the vaccines within days of the approval, which means they should theoretically be available in most communities at this time. If you are 65 and older, you should be able to get the booster without a prescription and without needing to prove any underlying illness, and your insurance should cover the cost of the vaccine, which, if paying privately, can run up to $140. Whether you will be able to make an appointment to receive the vaccine at your local pharmacy, however, is another matter. For adults under age 65, only those who can confirm they have at least one underlying condition that could lead to severe illness from COVID are eligible for the latest booster. What does that mean? There is a list of conditions that are recognized as putting a person at a higher risk of serious illness from COVID, but if you are a healthy adult under 65, your chance of getting access to the booster is in question. You might find a physician willing to nonetheless give you the vaccine, but they may worry about liability from this “off-label” use, or it’s possible your insurance company won’t pay for the vaccine. If you fall in that category, it’s unlikely a local pharmacy will give you the vaccine. Children under 5 and pregnant women may also have challenges accessing the booster. And if you live with someone at higher risk or regularly visit an older person you don’t want to put at risk? If you are a healthy adult under the age of 65, that doesn’t seem to be a sufficient reason to get you access to the booster.

Regarding the availability of the new booster at local pharmacies: Because of the more narrow population eligible for the vaccine and the uncertainty over insurance coverage, some pharmacies may not stock the vaccine at all or may stock more limited amounts. CVS and Walgreens, for example, are issuing somewhat complex advisories about the availability of the vaccine, depending upon what category of access you fall into and what state you live in. Whether or not those of you under 65 will need to get a prescription to verify your eligibility, or will need to attest to your eligibility, or in some other way document your underlying illness, is also uncertain at this time and likely dependent upon where you live and the willingness of your local pharmacy to accommodate your needs. Last year, the data showed that nearly 90% of COVID-19 vaccines were administered at pharmacies- that number may be significantly different this year. Take a look here regarding further information about booster availability at your local CVS.

Is there reason to think the new vaccines are any less safe or effective than previously? Not according to infectious disease experts or professional organizations that have closely monitored the risks and benefits of the vaccines over the last several years. As a recent post in the highly regarded health publication STAT made clear, “Hundreds of millions of people have received the Covid vaccine, and outside of an increased risk of myocarditis, researchers have seen few major side effects.” Even as recently as June 2025, the CDC touted the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines for everyone. So what is driving the efforts to limit vaccine availability for those who want the COVID-19 booster? There are theories afloat, many connected to the publicly known hostility of Health Secretary Kennedy toward vaccines. In fact, there is one published source that suggests Secretary Kennedy is aiming to eliminate access to the COVID vaccine for all populations later this fall. This, of course, follows the earlier decision to cancel hundreds of millions of research dollars supporting mRNA vaccine research. Whether or not that is legally possible is, of course, another matter. But like much of the COVID-19 vaccine guidance these days, the proposals and parameters seem up for grabs.