Louisiana pharmacies make their own rules amid confusing COVID guidance: ‘It’s clear as mud’
Anyone looking for a COVID shot for themselves or their kids in Louisiana is facing a new maze of pharmacy restrictions after changing federal guidance on the vaccine.
Large chain pharmacies, including Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens, started requiring prescriptions for the vaccine this month for anyone under the age of 65 in Louisiana and 15 other states, including Alabama and Mississippi.
And each chain has its own rules for children — if they’re offering them at all. It’s a significant change from last year, when anyone could walk into a pharmacy and get a COVID shot on demand, one that’s causing confusion and delays in getting vaccinated.
“It’s as clear as mud,” said Dr. Matthew Morvant, owner of Downtown Drugs, a family-owned independent pharmacy in Covington, Louisiana. “No one knows the correct information.”
In Louisiana, Walmart said its pharmacies aren’t administering COVID vaccines to anyone under 17 — even with a prescription.
