New FDA rules limit COVID-19 vaccines to older adults, high-risk patients, or those with prescriptions, leaving SC pharmacies and doctors concerned about access.
Now tonight the FDA has changed the regulations for who can receive the COVID-19 vaccine, leaving local doctors and pharmacists concerned. That’s right. That’s our top story tonight. News 19’s Shelly Garzone has all the details. It put us in a tough spot because patients really want it and right now we’re really limited. The US Food and Drug Administration has announced new regulations for the 2025-2026 COVID vaccine. Under the new guidelines, the vaccine is approved for patients 65 years and older. Younger patients must have an underlying health condition in order to receive the vaccine. Patients who don’t fall in either. The group must have a prescription from their doctor to get vaccinated. The recent change has left South Carolina drugstores like Pine Ridge Pharmacy in a difficult spot. If they don’t have a prescription currently, we can’t give them the vaccine under the current protocol in South Carolina for pharmacies, so we are having to turn patients away. Beer tells me South Carolina must follow protocols. From the advisory committee of Immunization Practices, who, according to Beard has not released any guidance as of now, but a meeting set for next week could soon provide some clarity. We’re hoping the ACIP will at least meet the FDA regulations if not open it up to everybody who desires to get that vaccine. According to Beard, not every patient has easy access to their doctor’s office, making it. challenging to get the prescription for the vaccine. We have a lot of pharmacies in rural communities and there aren’t doctors nearby, you know, they have to drive 30, 45 minutes and even an hour to get to the nearest doctor. So it’s pretty challenging, and some patients, you know, don’t really see their doctor regularly at all. Local doctors say this is a major setback. Very clearly and on purpose introduces another barrier to to get. Enough folks vaccinated that we have some sort of community immunity here and Again, this is not where we should be. In the midst of a COVID outbreak in South Carolina, doctors tell News 19 there’s two main ways patients can get vaccinated at this time. You either have to go to a minute clinic or you have to go to your, your doctor and get a prescription for, for these vaccines. Shelly Garzone, — News 19 WLTX
— and federal Health officials say that they did make changes because many people have immunity and they are questioning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Those safety concerns have been discounted by many public health care experts. Meanwhile, the ACIP is set to meet next week, and until then all patients, whether they meet the new FDA requirements or not, will still need a prescription to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
