Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced legislation designed to protect vaccine access through pharmacists in the state.
State Representative Arvind Venkat of Allegheny County and three other representatives introduced H.B. 1881 on Thursday.
They say it would allow pharmacists to administer vaccines based on CDC recommendations and recommendations from Pennsylvania health authorities.
“Chaos in federal health agency policymaking, which is no longer backed by scientific evidence but instead by anti-vaccine ideology, will cost people’s lives,” said Venkat. “This legislation will allow Pennsylvanians to avoid the politicization of health care and get the lifesaving vaccines they need, even if the federal government stops recommending them purely due to politics.”
Venkat said he wants state vaccination approvals to come from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Governor Josh Shapiro has previously encouraged lawmakers to make sure they are working on protecting access to vaccines in their communities.
“We have seen forceful pushback against the chaos at the CDC by the governor,” Venkat said. “However, we need a stronger, permanent solution to ensure Pennsylvanians can receive their vaccinations even after we are past this moment of political turmoil.”
Venkat said vaccines could have prevented an estimated 150 million deaths worldwide in the last 50 years.
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