Given the attacks on science and medical care by the federal government, Governor Kathy Hochul is taking measures to protect access to vaccines throughout the state of New York.
Given the imminent threat of the availability of vaccines against COVID-19, the governor signed an executive order that will allow pharmacists to administer vaccines, providing access to all New Yorkers who wish to vaccinate.
The Executive Order will be in force for at least 30 days while a long -term legislative solution develops to address access to all vaccines and combat the wrong attack of the Trump administration to immunization and medical care.
«I promised the New Yorkers that their family would be my support. Given the lack of federal leadership, we must do everything possible to ensure that New Yorkers have access to vaccines and preventive medical care on which they depend, ”said Governor Hochul.
“By signing this executive order, we send a clear message: when Washington Republicans politicize with public health, New Yorkers can still receive the attention they need, near home, from confidence suppliers in their own communities,” he added.
For his part, Dr. James McDonald, health commissioner of the state of New York, said: “The executive order of Governor Hochul provides access to the COVID vaccine to New Yorkers who decide to vaccinate, prepare us for a more fluid transition to the updated vaccine for 2025-26 and restore pharmacies as a vital part of our vaccination network.”
“While the New York state does not demand vaccination against COVID, vaccination remains one of the most effective tools we have to prevent serious diseases, hospitalizations and Covid deaths.”
– Federal restrictions on Trump administration vaccines:
Most New York pharmacies depend on “permanent orders”: not specific recipes for each patient who authorize them to administer vaccines to wide groups of people. These permanent orders are usually based on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Federal Immunization Practices. Only this summer, the Federal Government withdrew more than 500 million dollars from the financing for RNM vaccines, undoing what was considered an emblematic achievement of the first Trump administration, which generated greater uncertainty about access.
In June, the Secretary of Health and Human Services of the US, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., replaced the majority of the members of the ACIP with people known for their opposition to vaccination. Since then, the ACIP has not published an updated guide for the COVID-19 2025-26 vaccine and does not plan to meet until September 18.
Without this federal guide, many New York pharmacies began to restrict access to the COVID-19 vaccine, especially for:
– Children from 3 to 17 years old
– Pregnant
– Adults under 65 without underlying diseases
The executive order of Governor Hochul addresses this deficiency by declaring a state of 30-day state emergency and expanding the requirements to prescribe and administer vaccines against COVID-19.
Thus, professional doctors and nurses are allowed to issue specific or non-specific orders for each patient to pharmacists for patients from three years of age, expand the authority of pharmacists to administer vaccines to children under 18 and, for the first time, allow pharmacists to prescribe vaccines against COVID-19 themselves.
Together, these measures guarantee that all eligible New Yorkers, including children, pregnant women and healthy adults under 65, can continue to receive vaccines against COVID-19 in their local pharmacy without delay.
The executive order is part of the long -term strategy of Governor Hochul to protect access to vaccines in New York. The governor will begin working with the legislature in a legislative solution that guarantees permanent and continuous access to vaccines, including vaccine management by health professionals, school vaccination calendars and vaccine coverage by medical insurance.
