Pharmacies in Columbus now have varying requirements for receiving COVID-19 vaccines after federal regulators imposed new restrictions on who is eligible to receive them.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for all seniors but limited their use in adults under 65 and children to those with at least one high-risk health condition.

Under the new eligibility requirements, many Bartholomew County residents may need to prove their risk, and some who want to get vaccinated may no longer qualify.

As of Tuesday morning, Walgreens was requiring a prescription for patients in Columbus to get vaccinated against COVID-19, while CVS was only requiring patients to “attest to their eligibility,” according to a review of both pharmacy chains’ scheduling systems.

Some local vaccine providers do not yet know what documentation patients will be required to provide to demonstrate that they are eligible.

The Bartholomew County Health Department plans to have the updated COVID-19 vaccines but is still “waiting on (the Indiana Department of Health) to share what (local health departments) will need as far as documentation,” said Amanda Organist, the department’s director of nursing.

It is also currently unclear what policies Walmart Pharmacies will have on COVID-19 vaccines, as they do not expect to have them in stock until “late summer,” according to Walmart’s website.

Columbus Regional Health said it understands how the new guidelines may be confusing and expects vaccination rates to decline and community spread to rise.

“We certainly understand how the new guidelines could cause some confusion and CRH anticipates the potential for lower vaccination rates and higher community spread,” said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue. “The best course of action for patients is to consult with their primary care physician, or call their preferred pharmacy to discuss the options and recommendations that are best for their individual needs and health.”

The Republic reviewed the vaccination scheduling process at local pharmacies on Tuesday morning, finding that patients seeking to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments at the CVS locations at 4495 W. State Road 46 and 2423 N. National Road in Columbus are asked if they “have a condition that puts you at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19 virus.”

If patients select yes, they can proceed to schedule a vaccination appointment. If they select no, the scheduling system states that they are ineligible for the vaccine.

“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 or MinuteClinic when the patient is completing the health screening form,” CVS spokeswoman Amy Thibault told The Republic on Tuesday.

The CVS scheduling system includes a list of medical conditions known to increase the risk of severe COVID-19 infections, including, among several other conditions, cancer, diabetes, pregnancy, chronic heart disease, weakened immune system, substance use disorders, having a body mass index of at least 25, being a current or former smoker or “other conditions or situations that places you at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

Many people in Bartholomew County and the surrounding will likely meet one of the criteria.

For instance, an estimated 72% of Bartholomew County residents are overweight — meaning they have a body mass index of at least 25 — as well as an estimated 74% of Jennings County residents and 81% of Jackson County residents, according to Columbus Regional Health’s most recent community health needs assessment.

However, the requirements for getting COVID-19 vaccines at the Walgreens locations at 2140 W. Jonathan Moore Pike and 2400 Beam Road in Columbus were different as of Tuesday morning.

While scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, patients are asked if they “have any health conditions and/or risk factors. Similar to CVS’s system, patients can only proceed to schedule an appointment if they say yes.

However, after selecting yes, a pop-up alert appears on Walgreens’s system, stating, “prescription required before appointment.”

“Please contact the patient’s healthcare provider to obtain the prescription(s) prior to their vaccine appointment,” the alert states. The same alert appears even when the patient indicates that they are over 65.

When asked on Tuesday what documentation Walgreens would be requiring from people in Indiana, a corporate spokesperson said, “patients can review their vaccine eligibility and schedule their vaccines by speaking directly with their local Walgreens pharmacists, or visiting Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine, using the Walgreens app, calling 1-800-WALGREEN or texting FLU to 66879.”

“With the recent FDA approval of the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine, Walgreens is prepared to offer the vaccine in states where we are able to do so,” Walgreens spokeswoman Brigid Sweeney told The Republic on Tuesday. “In accordance with FDA approval and state requirements, we will offer the vaccine to all adults ages 65 years and older, as well as to individuals under 65 who are at higher risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19, as determined by the CDC.”

While the revamped vaccines are currently available in Columbus, it could be days or weeks before many Americans know if they’ll be able to get one, with access dependent on decisions by federal health advisers, health insurers, pharmacies and state authorities, The Associated Press reported.

The new restrictions — previewed by FDA officials in May — are a break from the previous U.S. policy, which recommended an annual COVID-19 shot for all Americans 6 months and up, according to wire reports.

The approach reflects heightened skepticism about the ongoing risks of COVID-19 and the need for yearly booster shots from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, both outspoken critics of wide-scale vaccinations.

The new limits “can’t help but create barriers to vaccinations” and cause confusion for patients, doctors and pharmacists, Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccines expert, told the Associated Press.

Some medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have objected to the restrictions, saying they may block vaccine access for families who want to protect their children, according to wire reports. Last week, the group offered its own recommendations for kids, saying annual shots are strongly recommended for children ages 6 months to 2 years and advised for older children.

In his post last week, Kennedy said the shots will be “available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.”

But Americans are likely to confront a number of logistical hurdles.

Insurers typically base their vaccine coverage decisions on the recommendations of a panel of advisers to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but some say they will also look to medical professional groups, including the American Medical Association.

Earlier this year, Kennedy replaced the entire CDC panel, naming several doctors and researchers who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients, according to wire reports. The panel is expected to meet in September, but no agenda has been released.

Depending on the panel’s advice, Americans under age 65 could be expected to provide documentation of a serious medical problem before they can get a shot, according to wire reports. Also complicating the rollout is the fact that pharmacists — who administer most COVID-19 shots — typically aren’t expected to collect that kind of information. And laws governing their ability to administer routine vaccinations vary by state.

Access could also be complicated for healthy adults and children who are interested in getting a shot for extra protection.

If the latest vaccines aren’t covered by their insurance, those patients could be required to pay $150 or more out of pocket if they want one, according to wire reports. If they aren’t considered high-risk, they might also have to find a doctor or other health professional willing to give the shot “off label.” Many pharmacists might be reluctant to give the shots outside of FDA’s instructions.

“This makes things much more complicated, and when things get complicated, we see vaccine uptake go down,” said Andy Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University.
© 2025 The Republic