A new law allows D.C. residents to get COVID-19 vaccines without a prescription.
The law overrides a previous policy that tied the ability of D.C. pharmacies to independently distribute the vaccines to immunization guidelines from the federal government.
The 2024-25 editions of the COVID-19 vaccines were listed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization schedule, but the versions for 2025-26 were not.
Without the new law, D.C. residents under age 65 and without risk factors would have needed a prescription to get the most updated COVID-19 vaccines, according to WTOP-FM.
Instead, the new policy will “authorize health care providers in the District to order and administer immunizations recommended by competent medical and public health organizations designated by the director of the Department of Health,” the policy states.
“D.C. will now match both Maryland and Virginia so that residents don’t have to travel out of state to be able to get access to the vaccine,” D.C. Council member Christina Henderson, the at-large independent who introduced the emergency legislation, told WTOP-FM.
The D.C. Council approved the legislation with 12 yes votes and council member Trayon White, Ward 8 Democrat, voting present.
