Washington residents will be able to access the updated COVID-19 vaccines without an individual prescription under a new standing order the state Department of Health issued Thursday. The order follows the federal approval of certain COVID-19 vaccines only for those with certain risk factors.
Under the order, most residents will be able to get the updated forms of COVID-19 vaccines at a Washington pharmacy or clinic without a prescription. The DOH says the vaccine is covered by most private insurers, Apple Health, and Washington’s Adult Vaccine and Childhood Vaccine Programs, though it is not free for everyone.
The DOH recommends that everyone 6 months and older, including pregnant people, stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations to protect against severe illness, hospitalization or death. The agency’s recommendation aligns with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The standing order, which is a prescription for the vaccines at pharmacies and clinics from the public health agency, follows an announcement earlier in the week that the state would join. The formation of the Alliance, which will also include Hawaii, followed the firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez after she refused to approve vaccine policies pushed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic. Kennedy also recently replaced the entire CDC vaccine advisory committee with his own picks. The new committee has not yet made a national recommendation on the updated COVID vaccines.
“Washington State will not compromise when it comes to our values: science drives our public health policy,” said Dennis Worsham, Washington State Secretary of Health, in a news release. “Our commitment is to the health and safety of our communities, protecting lives through prevention, and not yielding to unsubstantiated theories that dismiss decades of proven public health practice.”
