Oregonians can now walk into local pharmacies to get a COVID shot. Here’s why

Oregonians who want a COVID-19 shot can now get one more easily at their local pharmacy.

Oregon has formally broken from federal COVID-19 vaccination guidelines, adopting its own recommendations and a package of regulatory changes designed to remove barriers to vaccination. Pharmacists can now give COVID-19 shots to most people without a prescription and state-regulated health plans must cover them at no cost.

The changes follow new regional guidance issued Wednesday by the West Coast Health Alliance — a partnership of Oregon, Washington, California and Hawaii — recommending the new seasonal COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 6 months and older who wants it. The alliance’s recommendations go beyond current federal guidance, which excludes most healthy children and adults.

State officials say the move is meant to reduce confusion and make sure Oregonians who want to be vaccinated can do so before the winter virus season ramps up.

In recent weeks, getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Oregon has been a challenging and confusing process. Because the state had traditionally tied its vaccination rules to federal guidance, Oregon was caught in a holding pattern after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the new COVID-19 vaccines but scaled back who can or should get them.

At the same time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization expert panel — which typically sets the national vaccination schedule — hadn’t yet issued its guidance. The delay left Oregon pharmacies turning away customers — a stark contrast to neighboring Washington, where people could walk in and get vaccinated.

The Oregon Board of Pharmacy has since adopted emergency rules allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines to patients ages 7 and older, bringing the process in line with other vaccines already available at pharmacies.

Children under 7 will still need to get the vaccine through their primary care provider or a clinic, since pharmacists are not allowed to administer COVID-19 or RSV shots to younger children. Flu shots, however, may be available in pharmacies for children as young as 6 months.

To reduce financial barriers to vaccination, Oregon is requiring state-regulated health insurance plans to cover the updated COVID-19 shot with no copays, coinsurance or deductibles. This includes plans sold on the state’s health insurance marketplace and coverage provided through the Oregon Educators Benefit Board.

The Oregon Health Plan, which covers more than 1.4 million residents, will also pay for the shots, as will health plans for state employees.

Federal programs like Medicare and Tricare are not affected by the new state rules and will continue to follow federal guidelines.

Large employers with self-funded health plans are also exempt, since those plans are regulated under federal rules. That means some Oregonians may still need to check with their insurers about coverage before getting vaccinated.

State health data shows that 20% of Oregonians received last year’s COVID-19 booster formulation, with 851,994 people vaccinated by late July 2025. Multnomah County had the highest uptake rate at 28%, followed by Washington County at nearly 25%.