The United States is expanding access to vaccines amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Pharmacists in all 50 states will be able to administer vaccines to children aged 3-18 under a new directive from the U.S. Department of Health.
The directive aims to prevent future outbreaks and prevent vaccination rates from falling during the pandemic, said Alex Azar, the head of the HHS, per CBS News.
The pharmacists, who must complete the required hands-on injection training, will be allowed to give vaccinations without a doctor’s prescription. They are not allowed to give shots to children under the age of 3.
Related
The updated guidelines come on the heels of a May 2020 report from the CDC that found a decline in routine childhood immunizations in March and April due to the pandemic as parents remained at home.
"Especially as we approach the school season, it is critical that children have easy access to the pediatric vaccinations to enable them to get back to school as schools reopen," Azar said.
Many states restrict pharmacies from administering vaccines to children of any age with only 28 allowing it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) stands in opposition of the directive calling it “misguided.”
“This move is incredibly misguided. In the middle of a pandemic, what families are looking for is reassurance and clinical guidance from the doctors they trust most to care for their children: pediatricians,” AAP President Sally Goza, MD, FAAP, said in a statement.
“Pediatricians’ offices are open and safe. We have all necessary childhood and adolescent vaccines in stock with trained medical professionals who can administer them. We know that the best, safest place for children to get vaccinated is in their medical home.”
Related
"Creating a new vaccine system is not only unnecessary, but it will not provide children with the same level of optimal medical care they receive from the pediatrician who knows the child’s medical history," Goza added.
The HHS noted the drop in immunizations was considered a “public health threat and a collateral harm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic."
“As a pediatric critical care physician who has treated critically ill children suffering from vaccine preventable diseases, I know firsthand the devastation to the child – and to the family and community – of a death or severe brain damage that could have been avoided by a safe and effective vaccine,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Brett P. Giroir, M.D., said in a statement released by HHS.
"The cornerstone of public health, vaccines, makes these dreaded diseases preventable,” he added.
The CDC urged parents to continue visiting their pediatricians and remaining on a vaccination schedule throughout the pandemic.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram