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Shapiro, Pharmacy Board Act to Safeguard COVID Vaccines in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania allows pharmacists to follow multiple medical organizations' COVID-19 vaccine guidance, improving access amid federal policy changes and increasing demand, officials said.
- On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Board of Pharmacy voted to allow pharmacists to follow several medical organizations instead of only the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, authorizing pharmacies to administer the updated COVID-19 vaccine without waiting for ACIP guidance.
- After the FDA narrowed approvals and ACIP was replaced, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reversed vaccine policy earlier this year, prompting major pharmacy chains to pause or require prescriptions.
- The board approved American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, and FDA as authorities, while pharmacists reported vaccines "sitting in fridges" despite about 2,000 eligible patients signing up.
- The decision immediately aligns Pennsylvania with nearby states and state officials said the vote restores vaccine access and removes confusion for Pennsylvania residents seeking COVID-19 vaccination.
- Amid rapid national changes and spread of the XFG variant, Pennsylvania lawmakers and regulators act as CDC advisory delays persist; Pennsylvania House Democrats propose codifying vaccine coverage protections.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Pennsylvania eliminates barrier to getting updated COVID-19 shots, but confusion over vaccine policy persists
Pennsylvania pharmacists no longer need to follow CDC guidelines when administering COVID-19 shots. Instead, the Board of Pharmacy ruled they can rely on guidance from the medical organizations like the AAP, AAFP and AAOG.
The Daily Item
Pharmacy board makes shift to ensure COVID-19 vaccine access in Pa.
The State Board of Pharmacy voted Wednesday to include certain medical societies as authorities toward authorizing vaccine guidance for Pennsylvania pharmacists, a response to the federal government’s overturn of a regulatory panel that oversees vaccines.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
The KeystonePa. Board of Pharmacy votes to use vaccine guidelines from non-government groups
In this photo illustration, Ruth Jones, Immunization Nurse, holds a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (brand name: Comirnaty) at Borinquen Health Care Center on May 29, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)The State Board of Pharmacy held a special meeting on Wednesday to vote on a measure to effectively bypass the immunization recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), following concerns that fede…
Pennsylvania allows leading medical societies to guide vaccine access as new federal restrictions create confusion
The move allows pharmacies to begin administering the latest COVID vaccines. Previously, pharmacists in the state had been in a holding pattern when it came to distributing updated COVID shots.
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