The Significance of Pharmacists Ability to Administer and Order Vaccines for Children During COVID-19

Pharmacy Times spoke with Michael Hogue, president of APhA, about the HHS's decision to give more children the ability to get vaccinations from pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The significance of pharmacists being authorized to order and administer vaccines for patients between the ages of 3 and 18 years of age was unprecedented, according to Hogue.

"It is a big deal, pharmacists in local communities are near patients, and during the pandemic in particular, when consumers are often afraid, or maybe not accessing health care resoucres, or maybe the health care resources they have been accustomed to aren't available, pharmacies can provide an access point to preventative medicine services, like vaccines, that may have been difficult to access during the core portion of the pandemic," Hogue said.

Hogue also discussed the importance of children staying up to date with immunizations during the upcoming school season, the requirements for pharmacists to administer vaccinations, and the hope for the future of immunizations and the stigma surrounding them.