Pharmacists Are Part of the Covid-19 Cure
Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, everyone has been restlessly waiting for pharmaceutical companies to develop a safe and effective vaccine. Fortunately, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar recently announced that he expects a vaccine will be available to inoculate everyone by early April. But as we wait for the COVID-19 vaccine to arrive, lawmakers should enact common-sense reforms to ensure pharmacists to administer them.
Most patients typically receive vaccinations from their primary care provider. However, many communities cannot rely on physicians alone to deliver a future COVID-19 vaccine. For starters, nearly 80 million households live in rural communities that lack reliable access to primary care providers who can write a prescription. And even if these people can find someone to write a prescription, they could face long wait times once a vaccine becomes available.
Fortunately, pharmacists could play an essential role of administering COVID-19 vaccines to patients. Unlike physicians, pharmacists are widely accessible to the vast majority of Americans. Roughly nine-out-of-ten Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy. Many pharmacies are located in grocery and department stores, making them a convenient destination for working families with busy schedules.
In addition, pharmacies are open during more convenient hours compared to physicians’ offices. Pharmacies typically operate during weekends, nights, and holidays. By contrast, physician officers are generally only open nine to six on weekdays.
Yet despite these advantages, state laws and regulations impose numerous restrictions that prevent pharmacists from offering vaccines. 30 states prohibit pharmacists from administering vaccines without a prescription from a physician. Other states prohibit pharmacists from offering vaccines to individuals below a certain age.
In the fight against COVID-19, time is our biggest enemy – we cannot afford any unnecessary delays. Experts estimate that limiting the ability of pharmacists to administer vaccines would delay immunizing the country by up to seven weeks. This means thousands of Americans could lose their lives because states prevented pharmacies from delivering life-saving care.
Supporters of these restrictions argue pharmacists lack the medical expertise to safely order and administer vaccines. However, these professionals receive extensive formal training to administer vaccines to patients of all ages and regularly administer vaccines for seasonal viruses. One study even found that seniors are more likely to receive flu vaccinations in states that allow pharmacists to administer them.
Given this consistent record fighting seasonal viruses, lawmakers should follow the lead of states that have empowered pharmacists to provide more immunizations. In Idaho, lawmakers authorized these professionals to administer any FDA-approved vaccine that is not expressly prohibited by the state’s board of pharmacy. And in California, policymakers enacted reforms allowing pharmacies to provide immunizations to patients as young as three without a prescription. These policy changes have made these states far better prepared to mass administer future COVID vaccines.
For decades, pharmacists have worked tirelessly to protect the public health from seasonal viruses. Now they need relief from unnecessary and burdensome regulations so they can help us defeat COVID-19.
Charlie Katebi is a health policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity.
