In a stunning move today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proposed making his state the first to end all vaccine mandates for schools.

A push that comes on the heels of new federal vaccine policy announcements regarding COVID-19 boosters, limiting access to only people with health conditions, putting them at higher risk for severe illness from the virus.

That's led to confusion and complications around who can get the shots and how.

Pharmacies have been the go-to for the majority of people who get vaccinated against COVID-19, at least last year, and it didn't require a prescription or insurance to get one.

But that could change.

Our senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan is here to explain what's next.

Hey, Bren.

Hey, Bri.

So the question is, can you get the new COVID-19 vaccination at a pharmacy in New Jersey?

And the answer is yes and no.

It depends on where you go.

At the moment, CVS is already making appointments, but some other pharmacies are hesitating to give the vaccine.

Walgreens website says, "Once the new vaccines are approved, appointments will be available again.

Check back soon."

The president of Jersey's Pharmacists Association, Brian Pinto, says many members want the CDC, specifically its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, to sign off on these shots.

"So, right now, I think where we stand with it is, we do have product.

We just don't currently have the authorization to administer it.

So we are leaning on our colleagues down in Trenton, especially with the commissioner at the Department of Health to try to clarify what pharmacists, technicians are able to administer when it comes to the COVID vaccine.

'Cause right now there's still a gray area.

You have an approved product, but you don't have approved recommendations.

And that's sort of putting pharmacists in, sort of in the firing line.

Now, Pinto owns Tiffany Pharmacy in Westfield and says he wants to give COVID shots, but the rules have changed.

Even though the FDA approved these updated vaccines, they're designed to target the latest COVID strain.

The agency imposed tight new restrictions on who's eligible to get them.

They're no longer available to anyone six months of age or older.

Under the FDA's new eligibility rules, you have to be 65 or older or have at least one underlying health risk, and that from an approved CDC list.

So that limits who can get the shot.

For Pinto, it raises liability issues.

- I also have to look at it from the aspect of pharmacist liability.

And if one of my pharmacists administers it, and there is a reaction, the fact that there's still a very, there's a lot of unknowns with the standing orders and liability, potentially that could put some of my staff in a position that they may not feel comfortable with.

And I feel that that's a similar situation with a lot of my colleagues throughout the state that until there is some clear guidance, and I think it may have to come out of Trenton more than Washington, D.C. or Atlanta at this point.

Now, the question of liability was raised by U.S. Health Secretary and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

He slammed groups like the AAP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, for recommending kids get the new COVID shot.

And he warned in a social media post, "Recommendations that diverge from the CDC's official list are not shielded from liability under the 1986 Vaccine Injury Act.

Montclair epidemiologist Stephanie Silvera worries this creates public health hurdles.

Available and accessible are two very different things.

And I think that, and we've known this for a very long time, the message matters.

And so by saying that it's available, but really emphasizing for people who are over 65 and only certain people under 65, and not really being clear on what that means, it creates a lot of confusion.

And when people are confused, they tend to not even try to get the vaccine.

Silveira says COVID cases have been rising in New Jersey, and with kids already heading back to school, a lot of people do want to get vaccinated.

CVS told us it will abide by the FDA's new rules, explaining patients are asked to attest to their eligibility during the appointment scheduling process or at the pharmacy or minute clinic when the patient is completing the health screening form, adding, our understanding is that the COVID-19 vaccines covered by most insurance plans at no cost for eligible patients.

Patients should check with their insurer.

Well, that cost question creates another whole level of uncertainty, Silvera says.

The minute you take away coverage, people are less likely to access it, especially in the economic times that we are living in, when people are making difficult choices on where to spend their money.

- Now, Pinto says he also wants to be certain insurance will cover these COVID shots, although state and local health departments do have some assistance programs.

CVS says if you pay them out of pocket, it's going to cost you 225 bucks, Brianna.

- Wow, yeah, that's a hefty price tag.

So what is the state health department saying about this, if anything?

What the committee -- first of all, we're going to talk about the CDC committee meeting.

They are scheduled to meet September 18th, and there is no guarantee that they will do that meeting.

It's all new members hired by Kennedy.

He fired the former panel.

Now, we did get in touch with the Department of Health.

They issued a statement this morning, and it says, "Vaccines, when available, are the best and safest line of defense against disease.

The administration is working diligently to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 and other vaccines for those who live, work, or are educated in New Jersey, especially as we approach respiratory virus season.

We will continue to closely monitor federal recommendations and adjust local guidance as needed to protect the health of our communities."

Brianna.

So what's the bottom line here, Brenda?

- Well, I think a lot of this depends on what is permitted by state laws.

And CVS says it's going to make new COVID shots available with just a patient sign off in 33 states, and that includes Jersey.

But CVS wants patients in 13 other states and DC to bring a doctor's prescription.

Now that includes New York and Pennsylvania.

Of course, you can ask your own doctor for the shot, but 90% of folks, Bree, who get these vaccinations, do it at pharmacies.

All right.

Brenda Flanagan, for us.

Brenda, great reporting.

Thanks, as always.

Thank you.

Support for The Medical Report is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

A medical report is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

[ Music ]