The debut of updated COVID-19 vaccines has gotten off to a clunky start in many states. Limits on who can get the shots and prescription requirements are confusing customers and leaving some people worried about whether they will get protection from the virus this fall.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has insisted that everyone who wants a shot still can get one after consulting with a doctor, but he also told a Senate committee hearing Thursday that this access “depends on the states.”

The situation is changing daily and varies by state. And it may take time for vaccine-seekers to understand how the system works now for them.

“We anticipate it will get to be a little bit more of a smooth road in the coming weeks,” said Brigid Groves, a vice president with the American Pharmacists Association.

In the meantime, challenges are cropping up, and some patients are hitting the road to get vaccinated.

Most Americans get their COVID-19 vaccines at drugstores, and many seek shots in the late summer or early fall to get protection against any winter surges in cases.

Pharmacists in most states can administer updated vaccinations without a prescription thanks to approval of the shots from the Food and Drug Administration last week.

But several states are requiring prescriptions — which are normally not needed for vaccines — as they wait for a recommendation on the shots from a committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That committee won’t meet until later this month.

AP video by Tassanee Vejpongsa

AP produced by Javier Arciga

Associated Press reporter Anthony Izaguirre contributed from Albany, New York.

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