Harrisburg, PA – As the federal government sows deep uncertainty about where and how Pennsylvanians can access COVID vaccines, Governor Josh Shapiro’s call on the State Board of Pharmacy (Board) to take immediate action this week has delivered results. After the Governor called on the Board to take action, today, the Board voted to protect COVID vaccine access for those most in need and delivered clarity for Pennsylvanians.
Last week, after the Trump Administration upended COVID vaccine access across Pennsylvania, major pharmacies like CVS had to stop offering COVID vaccines to all Pennsylvanians – even those over 65 and with underlying health conditions who still meet the newly restricted criteria from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The uncertainty fueled by the Trump Administration’s shifting requirements caused the country’s largest pharmacy chains to require prescriptions for COVID vaccines in Pennsylvania, a significant departure from the routine access people seeking the COVID vaccine once had.
Immediately after the Trump Administration’s actions, Governor Shapiro called on the Board to rectify this situation and bring clarity to Pennsylvanians.
“The Trump Administration's outrageous decision to limit access to the COVID vaccine is an affront to Pennsylvanians' personal freedoms. I called on the State Board of Pharmacy to hold a special meeting to bring clarity to the people of Pennsylvania,” said Governor Shapiro. “Health care decisions should be up to individuals — not the federal government and certainly not RFK Jr. My Administration will continue to protect health care access for all Pennsylvanians.”
In the days between the Trump Administration’s changes and today’s Board vote, major pharmacies had stopped giving the COVID vaccine to anyone in Pennsylvania because the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has not yet issued recommendations on the new COVID vaccine. Before today’s Board vote, Pennsylvania pharmacists could follow only ACIP’s vaccine recommendations. Today’s vote changes that, allowing PA pharmacists to follow the vaccine recommendations of other trusted authorities restoring access and cutting through the confusion.
The newly approved sources of authority are: the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
“Following today’s regulatory action by the Pennsylvania Board of Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy will ensure COVID-19 vaccinations are available as soon as possible at our locations throughout Pennsylvania,” said Sid Tenneti, Senior Vice President, Retail Pharmacy, CVS Health. “Appointments can be scheduled online via CVS.com, through the CVS Health app, or patients can walk into our pharmacies and clinics.”
All four of these organizations have endorsed wider availability of COVID shots, particularly for people who meet the newly restricted guidelines issued by the FDA. Today’s vote not only brings Pennsylvania in alignment with our neighboring states, it also brings clarity to people across the Commonwealth.
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