By admin 
Colorado health officials Friday reissued an order allowing anyone in the state 6 months or older to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster this year if they choose without needing a doctor’s prescription.
Read more Lauren Boebert’s son will spend at least 20 nights in jail
The new order effectively extends a previously issued order that expired Friday for another year. It is intended to provide a workaround to changing federal policy on COVID vaccines that could make pharmacists and others hesitant to administer them.
“Every Coloradan deserves the freedom to make their own healthcare decisions,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “For those who want extra protection from COVID-19 this fall, we’re working to make that choice simple and easy.”
Polis said the order avoids “bureaucratic delays or requiring a trip to the doctor’s office.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet issued guidance on who should get COVID boosters for the 2026-27 season. Similar to last year, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the vaccines, but with limitations that people under the age of 65 should only receive a vaccine if they have an underlying condition that puts them at risk for getting really sick with COVID.
That requirement last year meant several large pharmacies stopped giving vaccines to people who didn’t have a prescription. They resumed providing the vaccines in Colorado when the state stepped in with its order.
Read more Colorado-wide student protest against ICE turns violent in Denver
Since then, Colorado has worked to decouple its vaccine rules from federal policy, and Friday’s updated order notes that the state is following recommendations from major medical associations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the . The state Board of Pharmacy issued rules expanding pharmacists’ ability to prescribe vaccines.
In reissuing the order, state officials said they are trying to make sure all healthcare providers in the state are working from the same guidance.
“We want to eliminate any uncertainty for people seeking an updated COVID-19 vaccine, as well as our frontline healthcare workforce,” Dr. Ned Calonge, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s chief medical officer, said in a statement. “Extending this standing order gives providers the reassurance they need to protect their patients without administrative hurdles and gives Coloradans seeking updated protection from COVID more peace of mind.”
The Colorado Sun checked a handful of major pharmacies’ websites Friday and encountered little resistance to scheduling a vaccine appointment for an adult, though some pharmacies required the person making the appointment to check a box attesting that they have a qualifying underlying condition. The pharmacies did not ask for more information or proof of the condition.
Some pharmacies, though, did not have appointments available for children.
Private insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid are all expected to cover this season’s COVID boosters at no additional cost to patients.
Read more After “suspicious” dropout, judge lets Colorado Libertarians pick new secretary of state candidate