COVID-19 vaccine confusion as LI pharmacists await federal panel's guidance or direction from NY health officials
A photo provided by Moderna in August 2025 shows fill and finish production of the updated mNEXSPIKE COVID-19 vaccine in Madrid. Credit: AP
Independent pharmacists on Long Island and in the region have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine but can’t start giving them out to the public.
That’s because they are required to wait for a federal advisory panel to weigh in, and it isn’t scheduled to meet for another two weeks.
"We have a lot of stock of the vaccine but we’re not able to launch it," said Danny Deng, chair of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York. He owns a pharmacy in Manhattan. "We’ve asked the state Department of Health to step in and provide us with some guidance," he said.
More than a week after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the shots for limited categories of people, confusion continues on who to vaccinate and whether they need a prescription to get a vaccination.
The two largest pharmacy chains in the nation, CVS and Walgreens, have said anyone seeking an updated COVID-19 vaccination will need a prescription.
The FDA authorized the vaccine for people 65 and older, as well as those who are younger and have certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes.
In previous years, the updated vaccine was recommended for all people over the age of 6 months.
In a social media post, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the vaccines would be available "for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors."
This and other actions by Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, led several top leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to quit in recent days.
Regarding the possible need for prescriptions, "it leads you into this quagmire," said Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology at Northwell Health. He added: "This makes it more and more difficult for people to get the vaccine. And the confusion as to whether it will be paid for and where you are going to get it is very problematic."
In the past, the FDA authorizations were usually closely followed by recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). That panel is not set to meet until Sept. 18 and 19 — which some pharmacists said is leaving them in limbo.
Nidhin Mohan, owner and supervising pharmacist at New Island Pharmacy in Deer Park, said several of his senior citizen customers had already called or come in asking for the updated vaccine.
"I make a note of who is asking so I can call them back" after he receives official guidance, Mohan said.
The state Education Department, which licenses pharmacists, said in an email Wednesday it was "aware of this issue and [are] actively working on a response in coordination with the Department of Health and the Governor’s Office. Once the final guidance is ready, we will share it with the pharmacy field and other stakeholders." And state Health Department officials said they were reviewing the latest federal guidance and would share their analysis once it was complete.
Health systems on Long Island also are grappling with questions about administering the vaccines in their facilities.
Patients at Stony Brook University Hospital will be able to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine in the emergency department without a prescription, officials said.
Farber said the hospitals would be able to give vaccinations to their employees, and patients in the Northwell system would be able to get the shots through their providers.
As of Wednesday afternoon, customers on Long Island 65 and older with underlying health issues were able to make appointments to get the updated COVID-19 shots at Walgreens pharmacies through the company's website. They were asked to bring a prescription to their appointment.
CVS said, for now, customers would have to make their appointments in person with their prescription in hand.
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
