DENVER — As Colorado responds to new rules from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) surrounding access to COVID-19 vaccines, Denver7 is getting guidance from a doctor on who needs the shot.
Dr. Christopher Post, the medical director at AdventHealth Parker, said the virus is not as dangerous as it once was because of growing immunity. However, he recommends high-risk groups, including those over the age of 60 and people prone to severe illness, to still get a COVID-19 vaccine this year.
"As time has gone on, I almost guarantee everybody has had COVID at least once or been exposed to it. So everybody's got a little bit of immunity," Dr. Post said. "And there's definitely those folks, again, the high risk folks and that are still getting sick from it and getting hospitalized. It's not to the extent anywhere near as it was in you know, 2019, 2020, but still, definitely some sick folks coming in with it."
He said high-risk groups include people 60 years and older, plus those with underlying health conditions like lung disease, asthma, COPD and diabetes. Dr. Post said people with weakened immune systems, including HIV patients, chemotherapy patients and people taking medications for chronic conditions, should also get a COVID vaccine.
As for when to get the shot, Dr. Post said he recommends anytime of the year because COVID-19 has become a year-round virus.
"COVID, over the last couple of years, has just been a year-round kind of thing, a little bit more prevalent in the winter. The flu shot, they always recommend getting in October, November, just to sort of hit that high flu season. The COVID vaccines you can get any time of year because there's really no huge spike," Dr. Post said.
On Friday, the Colorado Board of Pharmacy will meet for an emergency session to decide on proposed rules to allow all Coloradans ages 6 months and older to receive COVID-19 vaccines directly at a pharmacy without a separate doctor’s appointment or prescription. The move comes after the FDA changed rules surrounding COVID-19 vaccines, which limit the shots to high-risk groups and force others to get a prescription.
Denver7 reached out to several pharmacies to ask how they are following regulatory changes when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine access. Ethan Slavin, a spokesperson for CVS, said in a statement its pharmacies will ensure COVID-19 vaccinations are available "as soon as possible" at all Colorado CVS Pharmacy locations.
Heather Halpape, a spokesperson for Albertsons, said Safeway pharmacies across Colorado will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines without the need for a prescription starting Friday, September 5. She said the shot is in stock and available for those 12 years and older.
