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Governor Kathy Hochul Signs Executive Order to Expand Access to COVID Vaccines in New York State

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

In a move aimed at protecting vaccine access in New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul has signed an Executive Order that allows pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines, providing access for all New Yorkers who wish to be vaccinated. This decision comes in response to the Trump Administration's recent actions that have threatened access to COVID vaccines, including the withdrawal of $500 million in mRNA vaccine funding and the replacement of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members with individuals known to oppose vaccination.

Key Takeaways:

  • Governor Kathy Hochul signed an Executive Order to expand access to COVID vaccines in New York State, allowing pharmacists to administer vaccines to patients as young as age three.
  • The Executive Order is in place for at least 30 days while a long-term legislative solution is developed to address access to all vaccines.
  • The order allows physicians and nurse practitioners to issue patient-specific or non-patient-specific orders to pharmacists for patients as young as age three, expands pharmacists' authority to administer vaccines to children under 18, and permits pharmacists to prescribe COVID vaccines themselves.
  • The Executive Order addresses a gap in federal guidance for the 2025-26 COVID vaccine, following the departure of $500 million in mRNA vaccine funding and the replacement of ACIP members with individuals opposing vaccination.
  • The order ensures that all eligible New Yorkers, including children, pregnant people, and healthy adults under 65, can continue to receive COVID vaccinations at their local pharmacy without delay.
  • Governor Hochul's Executive Order is part of a long-term strategy to protect access to vaccinations in New York, with the goal of developing a legislative solution to ensure permanent and continuing access to vaccines.

Statistics:

  • $500 million: the amount of mRNA vaccine funding withdrawn by the federal government this summer.
  • 2025-26: the COVID vaccine apparently affected by the federal guidance gap.
  • 18: the minimum age for patients that pharmacists can administer vaccines to under the Executive Order.
  • 30: the number of days the Executive Order will be in place while a long-term legislative solution is developed.
  • 2017: the year Contify.com was formed, as mentioned in the source.

Sources:

  • Governor Kathy Hochul
  • New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald
  • Trump Administration
  • U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
  • Contify.com (2017)

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