Front Range Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy owned by a pharmacist, is preparing its in-store immunization service for the 2026-2027 respiratory virus season after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine formula in late August and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment renewed its statewide COVID-19 vaccine standing order on Sept. 4, 2026. The pharmacy is notifying patients that flu shots, along with other seasonal and routine vaccines, are offered on a walk-in basis at its Englewood location.
According to the department's Sept. 4 announcement, the updated formula targets the XFG variant of COVID-19, and the renewed order gives healthcare providers, including pharmacists, statewide authority to administer the updated vaccines without individual patient prescriptions. The department stated that the order aligns with fall respiratory vaccine recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. It also advised that updated vaccines were expected to reach pharmacies and clinics within one to two weeks and encouraged residents to call ahead to confirm availability.
The season follows a severe 2025-2026 flu season in Colorado, during which the department reported 782 new flu-related hospitalizations for the week ending Dec. 27, 2025, the highest single-week count since the department began tracking influenza hospitalizations in 2004, according to Colorado Public Radio. This fall, COVID-19 infections were also growing or likely growing in 47 states as of Sept. 2, 2026, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates reported by Colorado Public Radio on Sept. 8. The same report, citing the state's respiratory virus immunization dashboard, noted that 13.5 percent of Colorado residents received a COVID-19 vaccine during the 2025-2026 season.
In line with the department's call-ahead guidance, Front Range Pharmacy asks patients to phone the pharmacy at 720-405-5125 to confirm current stock before visiting, since seasonal inventory changes as shipments arrive. The pharmacy's seasonal offerings include flu shots and COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 and for patients 12 and older, along with standard influenza vaccines and influenza vaccines for older adults. When a requested vaccine is not on hand, the pharmacy can typically order it for availability the next business day.
To accommodate the seasonal increase in visits, the pharmacy administers vaccines in a dedicated room that seats up to eight people. Patients may walk in without an appointment and complete paperwork while a technician prepares their vaccines. Multiple family members can be vaccinated during the same visit, and pharmacists immunize children ages 5 and older with a parent or guardian present to assist.
Pharmacists also review upcoming recommended vaccines with each patient, which allows routine immunizations to be addressed during the same visit as seasonal shots where appropriate. Each vaccine administered is recorded in the state immunization database at the time of the visit, giving both the patient and the patient's physician access to the record.
The pharmacy bills all major insurers, including Medicare and Medicaid. The department has stated that most health plans, including private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and CHP+, cover the updated flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine, and it recommends that patients confirm coverage with their pharmacy beforehand.
"Fall brings a lot of questions about which vaccines are in and when they will arrive, and the most useful thing a pharmacy can do is give people a straight answer," said Michael Scruggs, pharmacist and owner of Front Range Pharmacy. "After last winter, flu is the shot most families are asking about, and flu visits are expected to run two to three times higher than COVID-19 visits this season. The vaccine room was set up so a parent can bring the kids in after school, have every shot handled in one sitting, and leave with records already updated for the family doctor to see."
Front Range Pharmacy was established in April 2020 by a licensed pharmacist and operates as a locally owned small business at 3401 S. Broadway, Unit 180, in Englewood, serving patients across the Denver metropolitan area. Alongside adult and child immunizations and travel vaccine consultations, the pharmacy provides prescription filling and transfers, compounding, DayPacks medication packaging, and local prescription delivery within a five-mile driving distance.
For more information about the pharmacy's immunization services, visit frontrangepharmacy.com.
###
For more information about Front Range Pharmacy, contact the company here:
Front Range Pharmacy
Michael Scruggs
(720) 405-5125
info@frontrangepharmacy.com
3401 S Broadway Unit 180, Englewood, CO 80113
