HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — The next time you need a COVID vaccine, you should check to see if your pharmacy requires a prescription.
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Sophia Choi has learned that at least one major chain to Georgia has changed its rules after a lawsuit.
William Nauck, 74, told her that he always comes to the Publix on East Atlanta Road in Stockbridge to get his vaccines, including his twice-a-year COVID shot.
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“The immunity wanes after six months, so I get two a year," Nauck said.
But he says he was turned away by pharmacists earlier this month when he tried to get a COVID vaccine. They wanted a prescription, so he called his doctor.
“They told him that his NPI wasn’t good enough that he needed to sign a form and fax it back to them,” he said.
Publix cites the lawsuit, which was filed in Massachusetts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, as the basis for the change.
It stayed the rule, allowing pharmacists in Georgia to administer the vaccine without a prescription.
Publix says the CDC then removed the COVID vaccine from its adult immunization schedule.
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In a statement, Publix said,
“Georgia state law allows pharmacists to administer vaccines either with a valid prescription or under a protocol agreement, as long as the vaccine is included in the CDC’s Adult Immunization Schedule.”
Nauck gave up trying at Publix and got the COVID shot with no prescription required at Kroger.
Pharmacies are interpreting the stay differently, so you might want to check to see if yours now required a prescription.
Nauck says he may walk away from Publix for good after his experience.
“Because, to me, it seems, it seems just like a political decision,” he said.
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