States Break with FDA Restrictions on COVID-19 Vaccines to Ensure Broader Access

Strategic Insights -

As several states take measures to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) restrictions on the newly approved vaccines for the fall season are being challenged. Since the FDA announced its restrictive eligibility policies last week, several states have moved to bypass these restrictions, allowing pharmacists to provide the shots to a wider range of individuals. New York, for example, has signed an executive order authorizing pharmacists to administer the vaccine to anyone who desires it for the next 30 days, which can be renewed. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have also taken similar steps to ensure broader access to the vaccines.

Key Takeaways:

  • New York has signed an executive order authorizing pharmacists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone who desires it for the next 30 days, which can be renewed.
  • Massachusetts has ordered health insurers to continue covering the vaccine and has allowed pharmacies to provide shots to residents above the age of 5.
  • Pennsylvania's State Board of Pharmacy has voted to bypass federal vaccine recommendations and allow pharmacists to continue administering COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Colorado and New Mexico have signed public health orders asking state agencies to take steps necessary to require insurers to cover the vaccines and instructing pharmacists to provide the shots without a doctor's note.
  • The FDA's restrictive eligibility policies limit access to the vaccines to people who are 65 and older and to younger people with at least one underlying health condition.
  • The Pfizer vaccine will no longer be available for any child under 5.
  • The Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has stated on social media that the FDA's framework delivers "science, safety, and common sense."

Statistics:

  • 30 days: The duration of New York's executive order allowing pharmacists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • 97%: The percentage of Massachusetts' residents who receive their vaccines through healthcare providers.
  • 65: The age at which people are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots according to the FDA's restrictive eligibility policies.
  • 5: The minimum age for children who are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
  • 55%: The percentage of adults in the United States who have received a COVID-19 booster shot.

Sources:

  • Spencer Platt/Getty Images, "A pharmacy advertises COVID-19 testing and vaccinations on Sept. 4 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City."
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNiPowR3Kso, "Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signing an executive order on vaccine access."
  • U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on social media, "The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three."
  • https://www.mass.gov/doc/coverage-for-vaccines-bulletin/download, "Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey ordering health insurers to continue covering the vaccine."
  • https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-healey-announces-immediate-steps-to-ensure-vaccine-availability-in-massachusetts-amid-trump-rfk-rollbacks, "A press release from the Massachusetts governor's office on vaccine availability."
  • https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2025-press-releases/state-board-of-pharmacy-votes-to-protect-vaccine-access-across-p, "A press release from the Pennsylvania governor's office on vaccine access."
  • Shalina Chatlani, Stateline reporter, on contact information.
  • Stateline, "Several states are bucking the FDA's new restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines for the fall season," written by Shalina Chatlani.