I want to thank the OP for starting this thread. Reading it reminded me I should get my vaccination before I travel out of the country in a few weeks.
So I went on line and got a CVS appointment on Friday. I live in that hellscape of a state, California, so it took only 5 minutes to set the appointment and it’s free.
I hope they really have it. See my experience upthread - their website claimed they had it, but their actual pharmacist said they didn’t have it yet and won’t for awhile. I’m going in for a flu shot at 8:30 today and will again ask the pharmacist what the story is on the newest Covid vax.
Back from the flu shot. The pharmacist said yes, they got the new Covid vax in yesterday. She didn’t recommend my getting it at the same time as the flu shot, because something something “it’s less in volume but higher in strength and you should wait a few days between shots”. I didn’t catch all of what she said due to her speaking so fast, but my takeaway is that I should wait a bit. So I’m getting the Covid shot in five days.
Today I stopped by my local CVS here in extra-stoopid FL.
Conveniently my quarterly well-baby visit is next week & I’ll have a scrip when I leave.
Yesterday CVS wouldn’t accept appointments in my state, and today they do. State regulations changed to allow it, and that has percolated through the system. I don’t need a prescription or anything.
In California I can sign up now with CVS for Covid and flu. I’m going to wait a couple of weeks until after my vacation coming up. Last year I got both at the same time and I will again unless they don’t allow it.
Update: I just got the new 2025-2026 Covid vaccine today here in Connecticut! No issues whatsoever, and my insurance covered it. They were taking walk-ins as well. And they had their normal signs out front saying the vaccine was available and free with most insurance plans.
I checked the Walmart site and I believe Covid vaccines are now available in my area.
I am considering getting the flu shot along with it next week one day but don’t know if it is too early. I usually get the flu shot in October but I am traveling to the west coast at the end of September and wanted to get all of this done ahead of time.
Updating my post, based on new info.
In FL the CVS pharmacy requires a scrip to give a COVID vax. But … the “minute clinics” inside some CVSs are staffed w LPNs, so a scrip is not required there.
So sensible. So sane. So health-affirming. NOT!!!
But the deed is done & I’ve freshly sullied my blood with Moderna’s best work. In raging defiance of the baying horde of CT-powered braindead zombies out in public.
In happy news the LPN who stuck me said her 8 hour shift is almost over and she did nothing all day but shoot vaccines; mostly COVID. Then again this is a very non-trumply zipcode. Lotta traditional Rs, few baying trumpers.
Asked at Costco today (Montana). The pharmacist said they have the vaccine but can’t administer it until ACIP meets Friday. What a shitshow.
That’s probably so, if you have side effects, you’ll know which vaccine caused them.
The latest variant is supposedly running wild in Santa Barbara. My bro in law has it but I haven’t seen him in a while. I hope that I don’t have it because I’m heading to a music festival in Vegas and there will be lots of hugs and I’d hate to be a super spreader.
I was trying to schedule a flu shot at CostCo but the pharmacy page wouldn’t work. I called in and the tech said, “The site doesn’t handle it well when a lot of people are trying to make appointments, and we’ve been getting a lot of walk-ins today, too.” I took this to mean that CostCo is being inundated with requests for COVID and flu shots.
Your local epidemiologist has a good explanation of what’s going on with availability in different states:
Much to my annoyance CVS and Walgreens has the COVID vaccine in abundance but my current insurer, Kaiser, so far does not. Kaiser used to cover shots with those two, but now locally will not (and Walgreens quoted me $250 w/out insurance for COVID alone). Kinda just wanted to get it done with along with my flu shot, but I guess I’ll just have to wait another week or three until Kaiser gets organized.
I’m now all shot up with both the flu and Covid vax. For the first time ever, I’ve had next to no sore arm or sickly feeling the next days. I hope that doesn’t mean I didn’t produce strong antibodies!
Mr. brown had his Covid vax the day before yesterday, and he felt quite crummy yesterday, spending most of the day in bed and refusing meals. So his antibody production is robust.
We’re in California, and in both our cases, we have Medicare and an Anthem supplement, and we’re both over 65. We paid nothing at the pharmacy (CVS).
Got Moderna SpikeVax and flu AND pneumonia jabs at Costco yesterday. Sore. It was the first day Covid was available.
Where was this? Just curious because the new Covid vaccine has been available for two weeks now here in Connecticut.
I got the COVID shot yesterday, Moderna. Arm’s a bit more sore thsn usual, but the rest of me is fine. Flu shot coming up on Sunday.
Right now, covid rules are a mess, and they are different state by state. It was available at pharmacies in some states as soon as the new stuff was kinda-approved. In other states, you could get it from a doctor but not from a pharmacy. In others it wasn’t available at all, unless a doctor has it handy and was willing to administer it “off label”.
Many of the states where it wasn’t really available have fixed that. I think some haven’t. Here’s a good summary of the issues:
And, fun times! Things might change later this week when ACIP finally meets. All the scientists were removed, and it’s been stacked with vaccine skeptics. They will be discussing MMR, covid, and infant Hep B vaccines.