Updated COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available and a statewide prescription order ensures that Arizonans will be able to get the shots without needing a prescription and without the chaos of last season's
vaccine rollout.
Arizona Department of Health Services officials confirmed Sept. 5 that they have astanding prescription order, signed by department health adviser and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona, that allows pharmacists to administer the updated COVID-19 shot formulas, eliminating the need for individual prescriptions to get them.
“Vaccines are one of the most important tools we have to protect our communities. The influenza and COVID-19 vaccines have been proven safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death," Carmona said in a written statement. “We have issued these standing orders to ensure safe and timely access to the vaccines in alignment with scientific and evidence-based guidance.”
A standing state prescription order is necessary because of Arizona law on immunizations administered by pharmacists, who administer a majority of flu and COVID-19 shots in Arizona and nationwide.
State law says pharmacists may only give immunizations recommended by a federal vaccine advisory panel, but a standing prescription order by a public health authority is also allowable. Since the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, ACIP, has not met since 2025, state intervention was required.
"Basically the purpose of this standing order is to make sure that we minimize the barriers," said Dr. Joel Terriquez, medical director for the division of public health preparedness at the Arizona Department of Health Services, or ADHS.
It may take a few days for the standing state prescription order to get into the computer scheduling systems of pharmacies, so anyone seeking a COVID-19 shot in the upcoming week should double-check that no prescription is necessary, state health officials said.
The updated COVID-19 shots target the XFG variant of the JN.1 lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 27 authorized formulas by Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax-Sanofi. The shots are now widely available across the United States, including in Arizona.
The standing prescriptions for Arizonans were updated from an executive order signed Sept. 11, 2025, by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs who intervened during last season's COVID-19 vaccine rollout to bypass federal hurdles that leftsome Arizonans frustrated and confusedwhen they were unable to get a COVID-19 shot without an individual prescription. This year those problems extended to the flu shot, in addition to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Updated flu shots for the 2026-27 influenza season are available and Carmona signed a standing prescription order for the influenza shot a few weeks ago, said Nicole Witt, interim ADHS deputy director for public health services.
"Going into this respiratory season, our team recognized that there wasn't going to be an ACIP meeting and so we really had to work with our pharmacy association and our pharmacy board to update our COVID-19 standing order, but also add a standing order for influenza," Witt said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, which had been silent on flu shot recommendations for the upcoming season, on Sept. 1said its guidance for the upcoming season will be the same as July 2025: everyone ages six months and older should get the shot unless they have a medical reason not to get it.
Health departments across the country, including ADHS in Arizona, are referring to major medical organizations for vaccine guidance: the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Both groups also recommend the flu vaccine for everyone ages six months and older. Both the flu and COVID-19 shots are optional, so individuals and families need to decide what is best for them and their community.
Here are seven things to know about this season's COVID-19 shot.
It's recommended for adults over age 65, some others
Major medical groups say those who really need the COVID-19 vaccine are older adults, plus anybody who has a chronic underlying health condition such as diabetes, lung disease or heart disease, or a compromised immune system or who is pregnant.
Pediatricians recommend it for kids six to 23 months, some others
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the shot for infants and children ages six months through 23 months of age who don't have a medical reason why they should not receive it. Pharmacies have minimum ages for flu and COVID-19 vaccines, so check ahead when getting younger children immunized.
The pediatricians also recommend a single dose for all children and adolescents 2 through 18 years of age at increased risk of severe COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 vaccination status, and says that any child ages two to 18 years of age who isn't considered at increase risk should be allowed to get one if their parent or guardian wants them to get it.
Arizonans who want the COVID-19 shot should be able to get it
The standing order authorizes health care professionals, including pharmacists, to vaccinate all persons aged 6 months and older (pending their scope of practice), including pregnant individuals, with the updated shot. So if you are under the age of 65 and don't have an underlying health condition, you should still be able to get the shot if you want it.
It's safe to get both the COVID-19 and flu shot at the same time
It's safe to get both at the same time and it may also be more convenient.
It's optimal to get both shots before the end of October
The vaccines take about two weeks to become effective, so public health officials recommend getting the shots before the holiday season and before respiratory season hits hard.
There's been a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in Arizona
Nearly 1,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Arizona during the week ending Sept. 2, which was a 5% increase from the week prior.
Insurance should cover the shots for anyone who wants one
The national Association of Health Insurance Providers, or AHIP, said in fall 2025 that major insurers would continue covering federally recommended immunizations, which includes flu and COVID-19 shots, with no cost-sharing through the end of 2027. AHIP is the national trade association representing the health insurance industry.
The Arizona Partnership for Immunization, or TAPI, has resources for Arizonans looking for low and no-cost places to get immunized: https://whyimmunize.org/get-info/family-and-community/where-to-go-for-your-vaccines/
Reach health-care reporter Stephanie Innes at stephanie.innes@usatodayco.com or follow her on X: @stephanieinnes or on Bluesky: @stephanieinnes.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: No prescription needed for new COVID-19 shots in Arizona | Exclusive
