By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

On my birthday, I called around local pharmacies only to get a rude awakening. I would need to get a doctor’s prescription to get the COVID-19 vaccine. And even then, I’d need to prove an underlying condition to get it, even though I live with vulnerable family members. Welcome to the new normal, which is anything but normal.

In response to a surge in cases in my town, I called Publix, but they said I would need a doctor’s note. So did CVS. I went over to Walgreen’s and waited in line, because they didn’t say I needed a prescription. But it was a different story when I got there.

A friend said I might have more success at a smaller pharmacy, because the bigger chains were the ones getting pressured. But the small pharmacy, which offered me other shots, said their batch of COVID vaccines was on order, but hadn’t arrived. “We have no idea when it will get here,” the pharmacist said.

“Fueling that is the recent announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services, led by the vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., that adults under 65 will have to consult with a healthcare professional or, in some states, attest that they have an underlying medical condition before they can get the updated version of the COVID vaccination this fall,” writes Rong Gong Li II in the Los Angeles Timesunder the title “People Can’t Get COVID Vaccines As Cases Surge. Anger Is Building Against Trump.”

I may not have an underlying medical condition, but I have family members who do. And for my mother-in-law in a nursing home, for whom I’m one of her only visitors, that’s going to be a problem for us.

Even if you have an underlying condition or significant health issue, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get approved for the vaccine. As that L.A. Times report reads, “Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a doctor himself, said Thursday he’s heard from a physician friend that pharmacists are requiring a prescription — even for seniors age 65 and over — to get a COVID-19 vaccine, “creating a huge headache.” And he spoke of a stage 4 lung cancer patient from Georgia who has been unable to quickly get a COVID-19 vaccine.” Others even over 65 are being denied, according to the article.

Gilat Melamed with 11 Alive News backs this up. “11Alive News checked the websites of other big pharmacies like Kroger and Publix, and neither showed appointments in Atlanta at the moment, but it’s unclear if that’s due to new rules or not having supply. Both chains did not immediately respond when 11Alive News asked if they’re requiring a prescription. As for local pharmacies, at least one independent pharmacy in Atlanta has told 11Alive News that it is consulting its legal team to determine if it can administer the vaccine to people without a prescription.”

So some pharmacies are concerned about being sued for administering a COVID-19 vaccine? Who would sue them, and why?

There are reports that a new vaccine is possibly coming out, and it may be available in a few weeks. But sorting this out this mess, as well as determining who can get one, and concerns about the wisdom of limiting supply to combat a viral disease that is spreading again, shows that it’s going to be a pretty tough time for the health of most Americans. More time has been spent attacking the CDC than diseases. Unless more professional leadership comes to our nation’s public health care, the person in charge of the Executive Branch will be held responsible.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu or on “X” at @johntures2. His first book “Branded” will be coming out this Fall, published by Huntsville Independent Press (https://www.huntsvilleindependent.com/). His author page is here: https://www.johntures.com/about-the-author/