BOISE, ID – Getting a COVID vaccine is different this year.
Under the Trump administration, federal government agencies limited eligibility and, just last week, softened recommendations for who should receive them.
But most people who want to be vaccinated for COVID should still be able to, and their health insurance would probably cover it, said Idaho’s state epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn.
“No one is prohibited from getting the vaccination based on those recommendations,” Hahn told the Idaho Capital Sun in an interview.
Here’s a guide on how to get vaccines for COVID and the flu in the Gem State.
Am I eligible for the COVID vaccine?
In August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines but limited them to people aged 65 and older and younger people (age six months to age 64) who are at risk for severe illness.
There’s a long list of things that put people at high risk for severe COVID. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, says that can include mental health conditions, being overweight, not being physically active, being a current or former smoker, cancer, heart conditions, having a weakened immune system and more.
Most adults can likely identify they have something on the CDC’s list, Hahn said. And even if you aren’t sure the vaccine isn’t licensed for you, she said doctors can still prescribe it.
“If you say, ‘I might not have this condition, but my spouse does. I take care of my spouse who has cancer, and I really want to be protected.’ That is certainly something that can still be done,” Hahn told the Idaho Capital Sun. “It is considered off-label, but this is … the same type of vaccine that you may have received in years past and should be safe for you.”
Is COVID still spreading?
In Idaho, COVID spread is up, according to the limited public health data still available after officials scaled back reporting after the pandemic ended.
There’s less COVID-19 data now. But here’s how to track the virus in Idaho.
Idaho’s hospitalizations are rising, and 30 nursing homes in the state recently had patients sick with COVID, Hahn said.
“When we start hearing that, we know COVID is out there,” she said.
Idaho’s wastewater levels for COVID are “very high,” according to the CDC’s tracker.
ER visits for COVID-like illness are also up in Idaho to around 50 to 80 a day in the first couple weeks of this month, compared to around 40 a day in July, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s tracker.
Flu is seasonal. But COVID isn’t, said Dr. Sky Blue, an infectious disease doctor in Boise.
“It’s not a wait till October kind of thing if you want your protection,” he told the Sun. “And we know that there’s circulating cases right now.”
Research shows COVID vaccines reduce the risk of death, serious disease, visits to the emergency department and even long-COVID, a chronic condition that persists even after infection ends.
Hahn said she still gets vaccinated to reduce the risk of getting long-COVID.
Is the COVID shot recommended for me?
Last week, the CDC’s top vaccine panel softened recommendations for who should get COVID vaccines.
The recommendations could emphasize the risk of COVID vaccines and stress individual decisionmaking, even though the CDC’s data shows that the vaccines are safe and effective for most people, the Georgia Recorder reported. But the panel didn’t pull back the CDC’s recommendations that younger people, between six months old and 64 years old, get vaccinated.
CDC panel opts against requiring COVID shot prescription, but wants greater emphasis on its risks
To become official, the panel’s recommendations require approval by CDC leaders.
In a statement, officials for the CDC’s parent agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said the panel’s recommendations include “an emphasis that the risk-benefit of vaccination in individuals under age 65 is most favorable for those who are at an increased risk for severe COVID-19 and lowest for individuals who are not at an increased risk, according to the CDC list of COVID-19 risk factors.”
“It’s a nuanced recommendation,” Hahn said. “But essentially, for Idahoans, what’s important to know is that if you would like to get the COVID vaccine, it should be available and recommended for you.”
Asked how people should decide if they should get the COVID vaccine, she suggested people assess their own risk — and the risk of people they are around.
As the federal government’s health agencies, led by U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., restricted vaccine access this year, more than a dozen states protected vaccine access, Stateline reported.
Idaho wasn’t one of them.
“We felt that what (the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel) came up with last week actually can align with what we would like to do, which is that people 6 months and older who are interested in getting the vaccine, we believe should have access to the vaccine,” Hahn told the Sun. “We’re seeing that pharmacies are carrying it. We know our pharmacists can prescribe it, but if people want to go talk to their doctor about it, that they have that choice as well.”
Will insurance still cover the COVID vaccines?
Many insurance companies say they’ll keep covering COVID vaccines.
Before the CDC vaccine advisory panel’s vote, a group representing most major insurers in the U.S. pledged to continue covering COVID vaccines.
“Health plans will continue to cover all … immunizations that were recommended as of September 1, 2025, including updated formulations of the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, with no cost-sharing for patients through the end of 2026,” America’s Health Insurance Plans said in a statement.
In Idaho, at least two major insurers have made similar commitments.
“We continue to cover COVID-19 vaccines for our members, as we have in the past, and are monitoring the regulatory environment,” Blue Cross of Idaho spokesperson Bret Rumbeck told the Sun in a statement. “We encourage members to talk with their healthcare provider about the vaccine.”
Regence BlueShield of Idaho’s parent company issued a similar statement last week, saying “Coverage for COVID-19 vaccinations remains unchanged through the end of 2025.”
But if you wonder whether your insurer will cover a COVID vaccine, Hahn recommends checking with them or your doctor or pharmacist.
How will pharmacies give out the COVID vaccine?
How pharmacies interpret the new COVID vaccine eligibility could vary, Blue said. He recommends calling ahead if you want to know what the pharmacy would require from you to get the vaccine.
What about the flu vaccine?
Hahn recommends everyone consider getting the flu shot. Earlier this month, a CDC report found that the last flu season was “high-severity.”
“Even if you’re not too worried about getting a severe case, it could keep you from missing work, missing school, missing out on your day-to-day life,” she said.
Doctors say it’s safe to get the flu vaccine at the same time as the COVID vaccine.
But if you like to get your vaccines separately, Hahn recommended getting the COVID vaccine first because the virus is already circulating.
Some doctors recommend waiting until late September or early October to get the flu shot. That’s because immunity from flu shots can wear off, but the flu season usually reaches its peak around February each year, and can stretch into the spring.
But Blue said if people are already gearing up to get their COVID vaccines, they can get their flu shot at the same time.
“I think the chances of missing it are a bigger risk,” he said of the flu shot.
Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com.
