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NEW YORK (AP) – Pharmacists in all 50 states are now allowed to immunize children under a new guideline to prevent future outbreaks of measles and other preventable diseases.
Alex Azar, the head of the US Department of Health and Human Services, took the plunge using the emergency powers at his disposal during the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, which has been declared a public health emergency. The directive announced Wednesday will temporarily prevent restrictions in 22 states starting this fall.
The move is designed to help prevent vaccination rates from dropping during the pandemic, Azar said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that doctor’s office orders for childhood vaccines plummeted in late March and early April as their offices closed or received fewer patients, raising concerns about declining immunization rates.
But a survey of pediatricians in May suggested most offices were open and able to give recommended injections, and more than half were able to take new patients if needed. Another CDC report from the end of last month noted that New York City has seen a rebound in children getting vaccinated. The agency’s national 2020 numbers are not expected for another year.
“Especially as the school season approaches, it is essential that children have easy access to pediatric vaccinations to enable them to return to school when schools reopen,” said Azar.
The Trump administration has been pushing for schools and daycares to reopen, as part of an effort to get parents back to work and help kick-start the economy.
Currently, 28 states allow pharmacists to administer vaccines to children, Azar said. In 22 states, laws limit these vaccinations, including three states that prohibit pharmacists from vaccinating children.
The authorization allows state-approved pharmacies to administer childhood vaccines without a medical prescription. Pharmacists need to go through a training program first, although many have already done so, Azar said.
The measure does not allow pharmacists to administer vaccines to children under 3 years of age. Some of the most important vaccinations for children are given to babies and toddlers, but pharmacists do not have the training or medical support to administer doses to young children, said Dr. Brett Giroir, the secretary. HHS Assistant for Health.
Most childhood vaccines are given in doctor’s offices and it is relatively unusual for children to be vaccinated at pharmacies. In 2018, only about 7% of childhood flu shots were given at pharmacies, according to CDC data. And it is even rarer that other childhood injections are given in pharmacies.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement on Wednesday criticizing the directive.
“Pediatrician offices are open and secure. We have all the necessary vaccines for children and adolescents in stock with trained healthcare professionals who can administer them, ”said organization president Dr Sally Goza. “Rather than creating another unnecessary method of administering vaccines to children, our federal government should invest in the one we have: pediatricians.
The American Pharmacists Association has spoken with federal officials about expanding the services its members can provide during the pandemic, said Mitchel Rothholz, chief governance officer for the organization and its affiliates.
“I wouldn’t say we started” the idea of getting federal permission to immunize children, he said. “It was part of the ongoing conversations with policy makers, both at the federal and state levels.”
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The Associated Press’s Department of Health and Science receives support from the Department of Science Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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