You may live in a state where pharmacy administration of vaccines is tied to CDC or ACIP recommendations, and they should be putting out their recommendations in the next couple weeks. Until then, the pharmacies wouldn’t be able to give out any seasonal vaccines like Covid or flu. But I recommend calling or asking your local pharmacy, they have more relevant info for your state and if their company policy differs any.
Depends on the place, sometimes they directly ask you if you have a condition that makes you high risk for Covid, and sometimes you would tell them you have something like a lung disease or cardiovascular disease. Either of those should be sufficient. If you’re unclear, ask your local pharmacist, they generally want to help.
According to a recent article about NY, which has similar vaccine laws to my state:
“According to Dr. Thomas Russo, the Chief of Infectious Disease at both U.B. and the V.A. in Western New York, the approval process for vaccines is a two-step process. Step one, the FDA licenses the vaccine. That happened last week for people 65 and older and for those six months to 64-years-old with an underlying condition that puts them at an increased risk of developing severe COVID.
The second step is for the CDC to make recommendations. That hasn’t happened yet. Dr. Russo says New York is one of 16 states where pharmacists are only authorized to administer vaccines recommended by the CDC.”
You would likely need an Rx if you don’t meet the criteria for the CDC recommendation (and I would assume they will mirror the FDA’s approval). In that case, the vaccine would be off-label, and so insurance may not cover it, but if you tell the pharmacy you are at high risk for Covid, making you eligible, there should be state laws in place that make your insurance pay for the vaccine.
It seems CVS is trying to be precautious legally speaking and blanket requiring a prescription, but I recommend you call or ask in person your local pharmacy, be it a chain or independent. In a couple weeks when the CDC and ACIP put out their recommendations, thing will be more clear.
Not sure how it is in most states, but in my state if you go to the pharmacy to get a shot, you just tell them whether you’re eligible by filling out a sheet of paper or online questionnaire. You could pretty easily lie to get the shot if you wanted to do so, and it’s not like you would get in any trouble, even if anyone found out, which they almost certainly wouldn’t.
Source: I’ve worked in a pharmacy.
You would be surprised how many prescriptions need to be vetoed by those dipshit pill counters to protect patient safety. That being said, if any medical provider refuses to provide a legitimate treatment that is medically necessary (such as plan B or abortion pills) and not with excessive risk, they need to choose a new profession.