They want a COVID shot to protect their health or at-risk family. They can't get it

"Jason Mitton wanted one of the new COVID-19 vaccines before leaving on a business trip. But the pharmacists at a drug store near his home in Austin, Texas, refused. "He's like: 'Do you have a doctor's note?' I said: 'No, I don't.' He said: 'Well, the FDA standards say that you don't qualify. And our policy is that we won't administer it unless you qualify,'" says Mitton."

"For the first time, COVID vaccines aren't available to anyone ages 6 months and older to obtain simply by walking into a pharmacy and asking to get inoculated. In a major departure, the Food and Drug Administration only approved the shots for those at greatest risk for getting seriously ill from COVID because they're at least 65 years old or have another health issue that makes them highly vulnerable."

"Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration health officials argue that most otherwise healthy, younger people have so much immunity that they don't necessarily need annual boosters anymore. But many Americans who don't meet the new criteria do still want to get vaccinated to avoid getting sick or spreading the virus to vulnerable family members."

Pharmacists have refused vaccination to some adults because FDA approval limits eligibility to people aged 65+ or those with high-risk health conditions. Some adults with managed chronic conditions remain ineligible and frustrated by the restriction. The change ends walk-in access for anyone six months and older at pharmacies. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration health officials contend that widespread immunity among younger, otherwise healthy people reduces need for annual boosters. Many Americans who do not meet the criteria still want boosters to avoid illness or transmit the virus to vulnerable relatives. Independent medical societies argue that vaccination should remain available to everyone because vaccines reduce risk of serious complications.

Read at www.npr.org