At least one major pharmacy chain is limiting access to the updated COVID-19 vaccine in several states, including Kentucky, amid sweeping changes in eligibility requirements made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, The Courier Journal confirmed Aug. 30.
In a statement, company officials from CVS Health said the vaccine is currently being offered openly in 34 states based on the "current regulatory environment," but Kentucky is one of 13 states where immunizations will only be available to certain age groups and prescriptions will be required. Three states -- Massachusetts, Nevada and New Mexico -- cannot offer the vaccinations at all, officials said.
When attempting to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in Kentucky through the CVS website on the morning of Aug. 30, the system was unable to process the request due to "state restrictions or inventory." Appointments for the Moderna vaccine were available at four Southern Indiana locations beginning Sept. 5.
According to a report from the New York Times, Walgreens locations have also restricted access to the vaccine, though areas where the availability is limited is not the same as CVS Health. Appointments were unavailable for scheduling in Kentucky when the website was accessed Aug. 30.
The access changes come in the wake of the FDA approving updated versions of the vaccine with several new requirements.
In an Aug. 27 post on X, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said while the vaccines have been approved, the emergency use authorization that made the shots widely available during the height of the pandemic has been rescinded and only older Americans and those under "higher risk" would be able to freely access the immunizations.
"The American people demanded science, safety and common sense. This framework delivers all three," he wrote.
Under the new guidance, all people ages 65 and older and children ages 6 months and older, as well as people at high risk due to the following underlying conditions identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can receive the immunizations:
Kennedy Jr. said the vaccines are also available to healthy Americans who choose them after consulting with their health care provider.
"The transition is from a circumstance where vaccines have been marketed under both the emergency use pathway and the traditional approval pathway, to a circumstance where the COVID-19 vaccines are now marketed only under the traditional approval pathway," HHS officials said in a document shared with USA TODAY. "This is not a removal of COVID-19 vaccines from the market."
According to a USA TODAY report, several state health departments and national-level health organizations have taken issue with Kennedy's guidance since he announced intentions to drop COVID-19 immunization recommendations for pregnant women and young, healthy children in May.
The American Academy of Pediatrics broke with federal guidelines when it released its own vaccine recommendations Aug. 19, saying the creation of current federal immunization policy is "no longer a credible process" and that would continue to publish "its own evidence-based recommendations and schedules."
"The AAP will continue to provide recommendations for immunizations that are rooted in science and are in the best interest of the health of infants, children and adolescents," AAP President Dr. Susan J. Kressly said in a statement. "Pediatricians know how important routine childhood immunizations are in keeping children, families and their communities healthy and thriving."
Kennedy Jr. fired back in a social media response, claiming the group's recommendations are influenced by donations from major pharmaceutical producers, including Pfizer, Moderna, Merck and Sanofi.
"These four companies make virtually every vaccine on the CDC recommended childhood vaccine schedule. AAP is angry that CDC has eliminated corporate influence in decisions over vaccine recommendations and returned CDC to gold-standard science and evidence-based medicine laser-focused on children's health," he wrote.
USA TODAY reporters Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Ken Alltucker contributed.