What will you need to do to get the new COVID-19 vaccine?

The updated COVID-19 vaccine is expected to become available in coming days, but whether it will be available to New Mexicans may depend on where they get their vaccinations.

State health officials say that the new COVID formulation could arrive at New Mexico pharmacies as early as next week and offered assurances Friday that the vaccines will be available to New Mexicans.

But don’t count on getting a COVID vaccination from CVS anytime soon, and Walgreens may require a prescription.

A spokeswoman for CVS said Friday that New Mexico is one of three states that require approval from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee to administer the vaccine.

“There are three states (Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico) where we are currently unable to offer COVID-19 vaccines at our pharmacies,” CVS spokeswoman Amy Thibault said in a statement.

The reason? New Mexico requires approval from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which recommends vaccine policy to the CDC director, Thibault said.

“New Mexico requires ACIP approval,” she said. “In that state, there’s no option to administer the vaccine at the pharmacy until approved — even with a prescription.”

Obtaining guidance from the CDC vaccine advisory panel is uncertain this year because Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired every member of the panel in June. Kennedy has named replacements who have yet to make recommendations.

The panel is not scheduled to meet for three weeks. On Thursday, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, chairman of the Senate’s health committee, called for the meeting to be postponed indefinitely.

David Morgan, spokesman for the state Department of Health, said the agency is investigating CVS’ claim “and will provide more information as we learn more.”

“Regarding CVS’s position, New Mexico will ensure the COVID-19 vaccination will be available,” Morgan said in an email. Manufacturers are shipping the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine, which could begin arriving in New Mexico next week, he said.

“The New Mexico Department of Health should receive vaccine in the weeks following,” he said. “Pharmacies historically receive the first shipments from vaccine manufacturers.”

A Journal reporter who attempted to schedule a COVID vaccination at a Walgreens on Friday was told to first obtain a prescription before scheduling a vaccination.

Also on Thursday, a slew of top CDC officials resigned or were fired, including Susan Monarez, the agency’s director. President Donald Trump’s press secretary said Thursday that Trump fired Monarez after she refused to resign, prompting the resignation of three other top CDC officials.

Cases of COVID-19 remain low in New Mexico but have edged upward in recent weeks. For the week ending Aug. 21, New Mexico reported a seven-day rolling average of 130 cases a day, up from 31 cases a day on July 21.

“The number of COVID cases in New Mexico has slowly been rising since June but overall case numbers remain low,” Morgan said.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services, the state’s largest health care system, and smaller pharmacies around the state said Friday they are awaiting the arrival of the updated vaccine.

“We do plan to offer the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine once we receive it and will share updates as more information becomes available,” said Presbyterian spokeswoman Kourtney Muñoz.

Thibault said CVS expects to receive the updated COVID vaccines “in coming days” and will administer them in states where they are legally permitted to do so.

CVS will administer the vaccines without a prescription in 34 states, including Texas, Thibault said. In addition, CVS will offer the updated vaccine with a prescription in 13 other states, including Arizona and Colorado, she said.