Will state intervene with COVID-19 vaccines? Five things to know about shots

As the COVID-19 crisis receded, annual shots to prevent the deadly virus became a staple on fall to-do lists for many, just like flu vaccinations.

This year, the ground has shifted with the federal government reducing access and U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. casting doubt on vaccines despite scientific evidence of their efficacy.

Adding to the confusion are new eligibility rules.

So what should Illinoisans who want to get a COVID-19 shot do? Here are five key things to know.

1. It’s a fluid situation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August approved updated vaccines for all seniors age 65 and older. Those 64 and younger can obtain shots if they have higher-risk conditions that could lead to being seriously ill from COVID-19.

Conditions include asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity as well as people who smoke and individuals with mental health issues, according to federal records.

Healthy people who do not meet eligibility requirements should also be able to get vaccinated if they have a prescription.

That’s a big change from previous years when COVID-19 shots were widely available.

“The reasons vaccines were approved before is because they are safe and effective,” University of Chicago Medicine’s Dr. Emily Landon said.

“The antics of making vaccine approvals more limited only make it harder for people who want to get the vaccine,” added Landon, who heads UCM’s infection prevention and control program.

The landscape could change even more assuming the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets as scheduled Sept. 18 to review the new shots. Kennedy dismissed ACIP members in August and picked replacements that include vaccine skeptics.

Meanwhile, the CDC, which typically approves ACIP’s recommendations, is in upheaval after Kennedy fired its chief.

2. State intervention?

The Illinois Department of Public Health will come out with its own specific COVID-19 vaccine guidelines, Director Dr. Director Sameer Vohra has announced.

“From countless studies and personal experiences, I know that vaccines save lives,” Vohra said in a letter to colleagues.

The IDPH is reviewing national and state data, seeking advice from medical societies, experts and other states.

A report will be issued in late September, Vohra said.

Of note, Massachusetts state leaders issued directives Thursday to ensure widespread access to COVID-19 shots.

3. Pharmacies are rolling with the changes

Walgreens and CVS officials said their Illinois locations are ready to handle COVID-19 vaccinations.

Regarding screening for existing health conditions, “patients can review their vaccine eligibility and schedule their vaccines by speaking directly with their local Walgreens pharmacists, or visiting Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine,” spokesperson Brigid Sweeney said.

CVS’ Amy Thibault said “patients are asked to attest to their eligibility during the appointment scheduling process on the CVS Health app and CVS.com, or at the pharmacy.”

Customers should not be required to provide documentation, experts said.

As for insurers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois said “we are currently reviewing the updated COVID-19 guidance. At this time, BCBSIL has not implemented any changes to existing preventive coverage for vaccines.”

4. Kids disproportionately affected

In late August, the Itasca-based American Academy of Pediatrics called the FDA’s policies “deeply troubling.” The AAP recommended all young children ages 6 months to 23 months be vaccinated against COVID-19, along with older kids in certain risk groups.

“We know that children are disproportionately ill from COVID, just like the elderly are,” pediatrician and AAP spokesperson Dr. Anita Chandra-Puri said. “When we think about serious illness from COVID, we really do worry about our infants and our young toddlers.”

Of Illinois children hospitalized for COVID-19, 41% were between 6 months and 23 months of age, Chandra-Puri said.

5. There’s time

Not sure what to do? It’s fine to “sit tight and wait” for a few weeks until the dust settles, Landon advised. “There’s very little COVID circulating” currently.

“We’re past our summer wave and it’s going to be a little while until we see our winter wave,” she noted.