States Are Taking Steps to Make COVID-19 Vaccines Accessible Amid New FDA Limits: What to Know

States across the U.S. have taken steps to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are widely accessible after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated shots with new restrictions. The agency last month authorized the new COVID-19 shots only for those over the age of 65 and people with underlying health conditions, a move that marked a major change from past policies and reportedly went against the recommendations of FDA scientists. The announcement came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), following guidance from Health and Human Services Secretary and prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., stopped recommending the COVID-19 shot to healthy children and pregnant women earlier this year. At least two major medical associations have since issued vaccine guidance contradicting the Administration’s new advice: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends all children ages 6 to 23 months get the COVID-19 vaccine, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggests all pregnant or breastfeeding women receive the shot. And many states are taking measures into their own hands. Here’s what you should know about what they’re doing. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed an executive order last week to ensure statewide access to the COVID-19 shot.  The order directs the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and Board of Pharmacy (BOP) to make the recently approved COVID-19 vaccine—along with other vaccines—broadly accessible to Arizonans. “Vaccines are critical tools that safeguard public health and prevent serious illness,” Hobbs said in a press release. “Arizonans and their doctors deserve the freedom to access the COVID vaccine if it is right for them. With this Executive Order, we are following the science and ensuring that Arizonans have access to vaccines to keep themselves and their families safe.” Colorado A public health order from the Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPHE) allows pharmacists to provide COVID-19 shots to anyone 6 months or older beginning Sept. 5.  Governor Jared Polis said in a statement announcing the new health order he was “taking action to ensure that Coloradans who want to can easily and conveniently get the safe and effective updated COVID vaccine, along with the flu vaccine, this Fall without having to go to a doctor first.” The order is effective until Sept. 4, 2026, unless rescinded or altered, the state said. Connecticut Connecticut took a series of measures in an effort involving multiple state departments to provide access to COVID-19 vaccines.  The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) released guidance for COVID-19 shots based on AAP recommendations and encouraged pharmacists to continue administering shots, despite the CDC’s new guidance.   The Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) affirmed in a statement that COVID-19 shots have to be covered by state insurance policies “regardless” of recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel that offers advice and guidance on vaccines to the CDC. Kennedy dismissed all the experts on the committee this summer and has since appointed new members. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed an executive order on Sept. 12 directing state agencies to develop their own vaccine guidance.  The “Statewide Vaccine Access Initiative,” led by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), seeks to “ensure Illinoisans can get the vaccines they need and can rely on science-based guidance,” according to the order. The order calls for the IDPH to partner with several other state agencies to “publish plain-language guidance, continue to support school-based vaccination efforts, and work with local health departments, community health centers, disability organizations, and rural providers to reach families statewide.” It also directs IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra to issue a standing order allowing providers to administer vaccines recommended by the state’s Immunization Advisory Committee. The committee is set to meet Sept. 22 to establish fall vaccine recommendations, and by Sept. 26, per the order, the IDPH will use that advice to issue “clear public guidance.” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued an executive order on Sep. 8 directing the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to “expand its efforts to safeguard vaccine access in Minnesota in response to federal actions restricting vaccine availability at the federal level,” according to a press release.  The order primarily aims to “identify and remove barriers to access, while providing clear guidance to providers, insurers, and the public on vaccine safety, effectiveness, and availability.” Nevada The Nevada State Board of Pharmacy issued updated guidance on Sept. 5 that allows pharmacists to administer the new COVID-19 shot, as well as other vaccines approved by the FDA. CVS and other pharmacies had previously paused giving out the COVID-19 vaccine in the state, but said they would resume doing so after the new guidance was issued.  New Jersey The New Jersey Department of Health has implemented measures allowing anyone 6 months or older to receive the COVID-19 shot and pharmacists to administer the vaccine to people 3 years or older without a prescription. The executive directive and standing order were informed by recommendations from several scientific agencies, including the AAP and the Vaccine Integrity Project at the University of Minnesota, according to a press release.    New Mexico The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) issued a standing order on Sept. 11 permitting pharmacists and other health care providers to vaccinate people aged 6 months or older with the COVID-19 shot without needing a prescription from a doctor.   “We are clearing the way for New Mexicans who want the vaccine to get the vaccine,” said NMDOH Secretary Gina DeBlassie in a press release. “This standing order ensures that barriers don’t prevent people from protecting their health.” New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order on Sept. 5 allowing pharmacists to administer COVID-19 shots to anyone 3 years of older through Oct. 5. Executive Order 52, which declared a “disaster in the state of New York due to federal actions related to vaccine access,” also allows physicians and nurse practitioners to prescribe COVID-19 vaccines by pharmacists.  Pennsylvania Pennsylvania’s State Board of Pharmacy allowed pharmacists to give out the COVID-19 shot based on recommendations from authorities other than the ACIP. Before that decision, ACIP guidance informed who could receive vaccines from pharmacists in the state.  The “newly approved sources of authority” include 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), according to a statement issued by the commonwealth.  The statement confirmed that CVS would “resume administering vaccines as soon as possible at locations throughout Pennsylvania” following the board’s decision. Virginia State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton signed a standing order on Sept. 10 that allows pharmacists to give the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone between the ages of 18 and 64 with an underlying health condition without a prescription, as well as anyone above the age of 65. The standing order lets pharmacists offer vaccines “in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Immunization Schedule,” which may or may not follow recommendations from the ACIP, a press release noted..  California, Oregon, and Washington The three states created the West Coast Health Alliance on Sept. 3 to “uphold scientific integrity in public health as Trump destroys CDC’s credibility,” according to an announcement from their governors. Under the alliance, which the state leaders said aims to “ensure residents remain protected by science, not politics,” the states will provide coordinated health guidelines based on vaccine recommendations from “respected national medical organizations,” though each state can also pursue its own independent strategies.  In a joint statement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson referenced the White House’s “blatant politicization” of the CDC and the president’s “mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists” as a “direct assault on the health and safety of the American people.” “California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk,” the governors said.