CVS, Walgreens Will Limit COVID-19 Vaccine Offerings in 16 States

CVS and Walgreens will limit their offerings for the COVID-19 vaccine, even for those who meet the new criteria from the FDA, according to The New York Times. The new criteria limit who can receive a COVID-19 vaccine, with 4 different vaccines having different indications on who can receive the immunization.^1,2

CVS will not offer COVID-19 vaccines in Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico. | Image Credit: myskin - stock.adobe.com

CVS will now offer COVID-19 vaccines in 13 of 16 states and the District of Columbia to those who have a prescription from their physician or other medical provider. The states include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. CVS will not offer COVID-19 vaccines in Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico. According to Drug Store News, CVS will offer updated COVID-19 vaccines in the remaining states pending Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) guidelines. For Walgreens, patients need prescriptions for 16 states but not all of them overlap with CVS, and it is unclear which states include these 16, according to The New York Times.^1,3

The FDA recently approved 4 updated COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer and BioNTech’s Comirnaty, Novavax’s Nuvaxovid, and Moderna’s Spikevax and mNexspike. All have been approved for adults 65 years and older to prevent COVID-19. Other indications include³:

• Nuvaxovid: for patients aged 12 years through 64 with at high risk of severe disease with least 1 underlying condition
• Spikevax: for patients 6 months through 64 years at high risk of severe disease with at least 1 underlying condition
• mNexspike: for patients aged 12 through 64 years at high risk of severe disease with at least 1 underlying condition
• Comirnaty: for patients aged 5 through 64 years at high risk for severe disease with at least 1 underlying condition

Guidance and information on the upcoming 2025-2026 respiratory season have been met with confusion. Recommendations, which were once aligned across organizations, are now conflicting, which included government organizations, such as the CDC, as well as the health care organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Pregnancy has been removed from the adult schedule, even though some health care providers consider it an underlying condition leading to severe disease.⁴

“We don't have government officials or nonexperts deciding how we treat patients,” Laura Knockel, PharmD, BCACP, clinical associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, said.⁵ “We need to take the politics out of immunizations and rely on medical experts with years of education, the experience, and the knowledge to interpret that data to provide evidence-based recommendations.”

AAP published its annual immunization schedule, which covers guidance for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and COVID-19. Although recommendations from the organization typically follow ACIP guidelines, this year the schedule differs from the recent recommendations from the committee.⁶

“[Patients are] understandably confused. The space around vaccines is changing so rapidly,” Knockel said.⁵ “There's so much misinformation and disinformation out there, so I really think the first step is to acknowledge that concern, and again, coming from the point of they want to do what's best for their child.”

READ MORE: COVID-19 Resource Center

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REFERENCES

1. Astor M, Blum D. CDC uncertainty upends COVID vaccine access at CVS and Walgreens. New York Times. August 28, 2025. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/well/cvs-pharmacy-covid-vaccine-16-states.html

2. Levy S. CVS, Walgreens limiting offerings of new COVID-19 vaccines. Drug Store News. September 2, 2025. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://drugstorenews.com/cvs-walgreens-limiting-offerings-new-covid-19-vaccines

3. Gallagher A. FDA approves COVID-19 vaccines for patients 65 years and older. Drug Topics. August 23, 2025. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/fda-approves-covid-19-vaccines-for-patients-65-years-and-older

4. Gallagher A. New COVID-19 vaccine recommendations cause confusion among public, health care providers. Drug Topics. June 10, 2025. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/new-covid-19-vaccine-recommendations-cause-confusion-among-public-health-care-providers

5. Gallagher A, Knockel L. Q&A: pharmacist advocates for evidence-based immunization guidelines for COVID-19 vaccines. Drug Topics. September 1, 2025. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/q-a-pharmacist-advocates-for-evidence-based-immunization-guidelines-for-covid-19-vaccines

6. Gallagher A. FDA approves updated 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine for patients 65 years and older. Drug Topics. August 27, 2025. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/fda-approves-updated-2025-2026-covid-19-vaccine-for-patients-65-years-and-older