The Pennsylvania House passed legislation Dec. 16 to preserve access to pharmacist-administered vaccines, even if federal recommendations change.
The bill would allow pharmacists to provide vaccines based on guidance from state authorities — including the Pennsylvania Department of Health and professional medical societies — instead of relying solely on the CDC, according to a Dec. 16 news release from the office of state Rep. Arvind Venkat, MD, D-Allegheny.
The bill, introduced by Dr. Venkat and Democratic state Reps. Tarik Khan, PhD, MSN, RN, of Philadelphia, Bridget Kosierowski, RN, of Lackawanna, and Jennifer O’Mara of Delaware, comes amid concern over recent federal policy changes, including the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ending certain longstanding vaccine recommendations.
The House previously passed a related measure in October to protect private insurance coverage for vaccines recommended by Pennsylvania health officials.
Supporters of the legislation said it would ensure pharmacists can continue administering vaccines to Pennsylvanians regardless of political shifts at the federal level. The bill now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
Other states are taking similar steps. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law Dec. 2 empowering the state’s health department to issue vaccine guidance through its Immunization Advisory Committee. In New York, legislation introduced Sept. 5 by state Sen. John Liu would authorize pharmacists to administer FDA-approved vaccines based on state-level recommendations, following reports of pharmacies halting COVID-19 vaccinations due to federal inaction.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed a bill on Sept. 18 to set a baseline vaccine schedule tied to January 2025 CDC recommendations, while giving state health authorities flexibility to update coverage based on evidence from national medical organizations. And in Washington, a standing order allows pharmacists to administer COVID-19 vaccines using the state health officer as prescriber, bypassing federal limitations recently added to pharmacy protocols.
