HHS is permitting pharmacists and qualified pharmacy interns to administer flu vaccines in states where they are not licensed or certified, effective Jan. 7.
HHS released an amendment to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for Medical Countermeasures Against COVID-19, allowing licensed pharmacists and pharmacy interns in good standing to prescribe, dispense and administer flu shots in any state. Pharmacists may also order vaccines in states where they're not licensed.
"The [HHS] secretary anticipates that there will be a need to increase the available pool of providers able to order and administer seasonal influenza vaccines," the agency wrote in the amendment notice. "Seasonal influenza has the potential to inflict significant burden and strain on the U.S. healthcare system in its own right; and in conjunction with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a spike in influenza cases could overwhelm healthcare providers."
Read the full HHS amendment here.
Editor's note: This article was updated Jan. 7 at 12:53 p.m.