2025-2026 COVID-19 Information

Current as of 9/9/2025

(We will continue to update this information as often as we receive new valuable information. Deschutes County Media Release 09/09/2025)

 

*Deschutes County Health Services (DCHS) awaits additional guidance from the Oregon Health Authority regarding the 2025-26 COVID-19 Vaccines for this respiratory season*

 

Right now, people in Oregon can:

 

  • Talk to your health care provider about vaccine availability: If you believe you may be eligible for a COVID vaccine, or have questions, please contact your health care provider or pharmacist for care.

 

  • Continue to use proven prevention steps: wash hands, clean high-touch surfaces, cover coughs/sneezes, stay home when sick, and test and seek treatment promptly if you’re at higher risk. When community levels are high, consider a well-fitting mask in crowded indoor spaces—especially around older adults, young children, or people with chronic conditions.

 

 

Vaccine Availability

  • DCHS does NOT have the 2025-2026 COVID Vaccine in stock - we receive our vaccine from Oregon Health Authority, who is currently awaiting further information from the CDC on plans and timelines for vaccine allocation to states
  • Local clinics and pharmacies may start receiving the 2025-2026 COVID Vaccine in stock - on August 27, 2025 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved these vaccines and a same day press release from Pfizer noted "shipping of the LP.8.1-adapted vaccine will begin immediately to ensure robust supply and rapid access of this season’s vaccine in pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics across the country"
  • Pharmacies currently require a prescription from a provider before they can administer the 2025-2026 COVID vaccine, even for individuals who meet FDA recommendations. Please obtain a prescription first, then call your pharmacy of choice to verify vaccine is in stock before walking in or making an appointment online.

    Under Oregon law, pharmacists can only administer vaccines included in state protocols set by the Board of Pharmacy, which typically aligns with the CDC immunization recommendations. Since the CDC has not yet updated its guidance, the new COVID-19 vaccine is not yet part of Oregon’s pharmacy protocol, so pharmacists can’t offer the shots without a prescription – even to people who meet the FDA’s eligibility criteria. More clarity around vaccine access may be coming after the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meets from Sept. 18-19, 2025. Oregon Health Authority will publish updates on this situation as guidance is issued.

 

What is new with this vaccine?

Updated 2025-26 COVID-19 Vaccines formula targets JN.1 or LP.8.1, which are Omicron subvariants

Three vaccines on the market:

  • Pfizer's COMIRNATY Covid-19 vaccine for those 5 years and older
  • Moderna's SPIKEVAX for those 6 months and older
  • Novavax's NUVAXOVID for those 12 years and older

 

Vaccine Eligibility

August 27, 2025: FDA approves updated COVID vaccines with restrictions:

  • All adults 65 years and older
  • Individuals between 6 months and 64 years old with at least one condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes from Covid-19
  • Individuals who have not yet previously recieved ANY COVID vaccine. 

*High risk includes, but is not limited to:  pregnancy, those with diabetes, obesity, cancer, disabilities, or mental health conditions.

 

Professional Organizations have released their own recommendations:

For Children:  American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

  • All children under 2 years old get vaccinated, whether high-risk or not
    • AAP's guidance notably includes permissive language that children not in the high-risk groups" whose parent or guardian desires protection from Covid-19" should be offered a vaccine
  • All high-risk children or those living with someone who is high-risk

 

For Pregnant Women:  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

  • At any point during a pregnancy (when planning to become pregnant, in the postpartum period, or while lactating) women should receive the Covid-19 vaccine

 

For Adults:  The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)

  • No recommendations for adults and immunocompromised patients have been made at this point

 

Pharmacy Resources:

  • In approximately 16 states, pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens have paused COVID-19 vaccines while they wait to hear from their State Authority
  • Pharmacies are only allowed to give according to on-label approval

(Definition: A physician prescribing a drug exactly as approved by FDA is doing so on-label. When a physician veers from that path, he or she is prescribing a drug off-label)

 

Insurance Coverage

  • Insurance coverage decisions made by insurance companies are based on CDC recommendations, not solely FDA labeling approval/vaccine authorization
  • The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is an external advisory committee to the CDC that sets vaccine policy.  They are due to meet in September, when typically this guidance would have been issued in June.  This has left insurance companies unclear about who should be covered.
  • Please contact your insurance company to see if they plan on covering the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine

 

COVID-19 Illness in the Community

Please visit our Deschutes County Health Services Public Health Data and Reports webpage for our seasonal Respiratory Reports publications, as well as other data, reports and plans.

 

COVID-19 Guidance - Symptoms, Testing & Treatment

Symptoms - vary from mild to severe illness and there is a wide range of symptoms which may change with new COVID-19 variants, but typically appear 2-14 days after exposure and start as mild and may progress to more severe. Possible symptoms include (but aren't limited to):

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

 

Testing - Self-tests (at-home antigen tests) are available online or in pharmacies and retail stores, sometimes combined with Influenza A + B tests. If you have health insurance, it may reimburse the cost of purchasing self-tests. Visit FDA's website for a list of authorized tests.

 

Positive antigen results are accurate and reliable, however a single negative antigen test cannot rule out infection. If you get a negative test, to be confident you do not have COVID-19 the FDA recommends 2 negative antigen tests for individuals with symptoms, or 3 antigen tests for those without symptoms, performed 48 hours apart. A single NAAT test (performed by a healthcare provider) can be used to confirm an antigen test result.

 

Treatment - the FDA has authorized or approved several antiviral medications used to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in people who are more likely to get very sick. Please visit the CDC Types of COVID-19 Treatment webpage for more information.

 

West Coast Health Alliance

Oregon has joined California, Washington, and Hawaii to form the West Coast Health Alliance. Together, we’re working to provide clear, science-based vaccine guidance for the upcoming respiratory virus season, including COVID-19, and to ensure people can access recommended vaccines easily and with confidence. Please see Governor Kotek’s Western Health Alliance press release from September 3, 2025 for more information.

For questions about West Coast Alliance, please contact Oregon Health Authority at; PHD.Communications@odhsoha.oregon.gov 

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