CVS holds off on offering COVID-19 vaccines in 16 states, including Pennsylvania

A national pharmacy chain will not offer COVID-19 vaccine shots in more than a dozen states.

CVS says it won’t provide the shots in 16 states, including Pennsylvania, regardless of if a person meets the criteria for the vaccination.

The chain says its decision is based on the, “current regulatory environment.”

Among the other states impacted include, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

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CVS follows state-level regulations.

However, in all but three states of the 16 states (Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico), CVS says they can administer a COVID-19 vaccination, depending on the patient’s age, with an authorized prescription.

In some states, pharmacists are not allowed to give vaccines that haven’t been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CVS Pharmacy is offering FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccinations in the following states: AK, AL, AR, CA, CT, DE, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, ND, NH, NJ, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WI, WY. States may change at any time.

Appointments can be scheduled online via CVS.com, through the CVS Health app, or patients can walk into our pharmacies and clinics.

Vaccine advisers to the CDC are scheduled to meet next month.

Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration approved new COVID-19 shots, only for adults age 65 and older, and for younger people with an increased risk for a severe case of the virus.