Rhode Islanders looking to get their updated COVID vaccinations are often left with more questions than answers. And some people may find it harder to get the shot.
The Public’s Radio morning host, Luis Hernandez, spoke with health reporter Lynn Arditi about what we know right now about getting COVID shots in Rhode Island.
Interview highlights
Can Rhode Islanders go out now and get the new COVID shots or not?
Lynn Arditi: That depends. Some people here have been able to get their shots, no problem, but a lot of others haven’t.
Every year, the new COVID vaccines have to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration, and last month, the FDA narrowed the criteria for who can get the shots to people 65 and older, or people under 65 with underlying health conditions that make them at increased risk for severe illness.
Can healthy Rhode Islanders under age 65 get the COVID shots?
Arditi: That depends. The FDA’s list of underlying health conditions for people under 65 to qualify for a vaccination is long, and it includes things like asthma, diabetes, obesity, and anxiety and depression.
And other states are finding ways to get around the new FDA restrictions on the COVID shots. Last week, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to require health insurers to keep covering the COVID vaccine – along with other seasonal vaccines like flu – for any adults who want it, as well as kids 5 and older.
And this week, Connecticut issued new guidance, saying prescribers and pharmacists there can prescribe and administer the COVID shots “off-label” to adults under age 65 who don’t have any underlying medical conditions.
Will Rhode Island follow the lead of Massachusetts and Connecticut?
Arditi: Rhode Island pharmacies have what’s known as a standing order for COVID vaccine prescriptions for adults and kids, but there’s no guarantee that insurers here will cover them – and COVID shots can cost $200 or more without insurance. Rhode Island regulations currently require pharmacists to prescribe vaccines according to the FDA labeling instructions. But that could change soon. The state Health Department’s spokesman, Joseph Wendelken, said in an email that “At the Governor’s discretion [the department is] actively exploring measures to expand this authority.”
Why the delay on vaccine availability in Rhode Island?
Arditi: Some CVS and Walgreens pharmacies already have the COVID vaccine in stock and are giving out the shots. But a lot of primary care providers, including community health centers and free clinics, get their COVID vaccines from the state Health Department, and the department hasn’t ordered them yet. The state is waiting until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes its vaccine recommendations. And CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, isn’t meeting this year until later this month. That delay means hundreds of thousands of mostly low-income Rhode Islanders who have been getting free COVID shots at health centers and clinics may not be able to get this season’s COVID shots until October.
For Rhode Islanders looking to get their COVID shots
Arditi: For people who have health insurance, if you’re concerned about whether it will cover the COVID shots, call your health insurer and make sure it is before you go to the pharmacy to get your shot.
