Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine in Kentucky? Expect new rules at these pharmacies
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- FDA limits vaccine eligibility to seniors and high-risk individuals as of Aug. 2025
- Major pharmacies restrict vaccines to patients meeting new CDC risk criteria
- CVS offers vaccines without prescriptions in KY; prescriptions required in 10 states
If you’ve tried to figure out if you’re eligible for this year’s COVID-19 vaccine, if you need a doctor’s order to get one and if insurance will cover it, you’re not alone in your confusion.
“It’s all up in the air right now,” Dr. Steve Davis, medical director for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, told the Herald-Leader.
LFCHD is not currently offering COVID-19 vaccines as it waits for guidance from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Davis told the Herald-Leader on Monday, Sept. 8. A KDPH spokesperson told the Herald-Leader that guidance is currently under development and will be shared with county health departments in the coming weeks.
Amid changes spearheaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pulled emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines on Aug. 27, 2025.
Their use has since been limited to people ages 65 and older, along with younger adults and children with at least one high-risk condition for severe COVID-19, the Associated Press reported.
State public health departments, pharmacy chains and insurance companies are all eyeing an upcoming meeting this month of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The group has since been remade with Kennedy’s top picks, and several new members share Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views.
As a result, major pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS have broadly scaled back vaccine availability.
Additionally, the University of Kentucky announced on Monday its retail pharmacies will require provider prescriptions to administer COVID-19 vaccines to individuals outside high-risk groups.
Even amid the confusion and barriers to access, Davis stressed members of the public should aim to get their annual COVID-19 vaccines this fall, especially pregnant women and young children between 6 months and 2 years old who are at risk of complications from the disease. Here’s what to know.
Who is eligible to receive this year’s COVID-19 vaccine?
Patients who attempt to schedule a vaccine appointment online with Walgreens, CVS or other major pharmacy chains will notice a familiar set of qualifying conditions.
According to the CDC, the conditions put someone at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19, and they include the following, as reported by CNN:
- Asthma
- Blood cancers
- Cerebrovascular diseases
- Chronic kidney disease
- Some chronic lung diseases
- Some chronic liver diseases
- Cystic fibrosis
- Type 1 and 2 diabetes
- Gestational diabetes
- Disabilities, including Down syndrome
- Heart conditions
- HIV
- Mood disorders, including depression and schizophrenia
- Dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
- Current or recent pregnancy
- Primary immunodeficiencies
- Current or former smoking
- Solid organ or blood stem cell transplants
- Tuberculosis
- Use of immunosuppressive drugs
Americans under 65 could be expected to provide supporting documentation of one of these conditions before they can receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Associated Press.
How can you get a COVID-19 vaccine from a pharmacy?
Because of the recent regulatory changes, whether or not you need a prescription to obtain this year’s COVID-19 vaccine varies from state-to-state and even between providers.
Here’s a look at how the process currently works for booking an appointment at major Lexington pharmacies:
CVS
According to CVS spokesperson Ethan Slavin, “State pharmacy laws govern where we can currently vaccinate.”
Based on the current FDA approval, Slavin told the Herald-Leader in an email, CVS is able to provide COVID-19 vaccinations in 40 U.S. states without prescriptions. That group includes Kentucky.
Individuals in 10 remaining states and Washington, D.C., currently need a provider’s prescription to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine from CVS, Slavin wrote. The states include Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
When booking an appointment online through CVS.com, patients will be asked if they have a condition that puts them at high risk for severe COVID-19, according to the pharmacy’s website.
Answering “No,” returns a response that the patient is ineligible for an updated COVID-19 vaccine and directs them to contact their primary care provider.
Walgreens
Walgreens has not responded to the Herald-Leader’s requests for comment about restrictions on booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
When booking a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through its website, patients are asked if they have any risk factors from a specified list. If they answer no, the COVID-19 vaccine is removed as an option.
Walmart
When booking online, a message box on Walmart’s website states the COVID-19 vaccine is available for patients aged 65 and older and individuals who are at least 3 years old with high risk of developing severe COVID-19.
Kroger
Kroger’s website asks patients if they are 65 or older, or alternatively, if they have a condition that puts them at high risk for severe COVID-19.
If they select “No,” they are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and the option to select it is grayed out on the website’s appointment booking tool.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 4:30 AM.