Taking Swift Action to Ensure Easy Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Coloradans This Fall

I’m taking action to ensure that Coloradans who want to can easily and conveniently get the safe and effective updated COVID vaccine, along with the flu vaccine, this Fall without having to go to a doctor first. These effective vaccines are available at many local pharmacies and supermarkets, and I encourage my fellow Coloradans to join me in getting protected. Colorado is committed to empowering individuals to make choices to protect their own health and safety, and I will not allow ridiculous and costly red tape or decisions made far away in Washington to keep Coloradans from accessing vaccines. Starting this Friday, the COVID-19 vaccine should be available to those who choose at many local pharmacies.

The actions come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration limited its recent approval of updated 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines to those aged 65 and older or at higher risk of severe disease. This narrow federal authorization gets in the way of Coloradans making our own healthcare decisions and would have inconvenienced Coloradans who want increased COVID-19 protection by requiring a doctor’s prescription. The FDA’s limited approval has created confusion and uncertainty because it appears to conflict with recommendations previously issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the guidance issued by several professional organizations.

Further, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which typically publishes recommendations guiding CDC policy, availability of federally-funded vaccines, and insurance coverage, has not issued updated guidance this year. As a result of this failure, without action by the state, many Coloradans would need to get a doctor’s prescription in order to get a COVID vaccine at a pharmacy. The public health order and standing order will allow Coloradans to access the vaccine without seeking an individual prescription from their doctors.

To immediately expand access, CDPHE’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ned Calonge, issued a standing order that took effect on Friday, Sept. 5. The standing order will serve as a prescription, allowing all Coloradans aged 6 months and older to receive updated COVID-19 vaccines directly at a pharmacy without a separate doctor’s appointment or prescription.

Public Health Order 25-01 also directs CDPHE to:

• Issue clear guidance to providers, pharmacists, and the public about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
• Collaborate with other state agencies and offices to identify and remove barriers to vaccination.
• Coordinate with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to review how federal decisions affect coverage for Health First Colorado (Medicaid) and Child Health Plan Plus. Updates will be shared as soon as possible.
• Coordinate with the Division of Insurance to ensure that health insurance plans under state authority fully cover COVID-19 vaccines.
• Work with the Department of Regulatory Agencies to review and revise rules to ensure pharmacies can provide COVID-19 vaccines.

In alignment with CDPHE’s new public health order and standing order, the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy convened an emergency rulemaking hearing at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, to ensure that pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and pharmacy technicians may continue to prescribe, dispense and administer vaccinations in accordance with applicable Colorado Revised Statutes. Meeting details are posted to the State Board of Pharmacy’s website.

The orders are effective Friday, Sept. 5 and remain in place until Sept. 4, 2026, unless amended or rescinded.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, please check out our FAQ or visit cdphe.colorado.gov/covid19-vaccine.