By Joseph Ax
NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Friday authorizing pharmacists in the state to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone who wants a shot, becoming the latest Democratic governor to try to countermand the Trump administration’s new limits on inoculations.
The order, which Hochul signed during a visit to an elementary school, is effective for 30 days, though the governor said she would extend it as needed until the state legislature meets in January and can consider a more permanent fix.
“If you want your child to have a COVID shot, it should be available to you and covered by insurance,” she said. “Extreme times call for extreme measures.”
Under the leadership of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved new versions of the COVID vaccine only for Americans over 65 or those with certain underlying medical conditions. In past years, the shots have generally been available to anyone.
A spokesperson for CVS Health, which owns one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country, said it would “ensure COVID-19 vaccinations are available as soon as possible at all New York CVS Pharmacy locations” in accordance with Hochul’s order.
Kennedy faced hostile questioning on Thursday from a Senate panel, including from some Republicans. Since taking the job this year, Kennedy has made false and unscientific claims about vaccines, which are widely credited by scientific consensus with saving tens of millions of lives globally over the last several decades.
COVID vaccines saved 14.4 million lives around the world during the first year of their use, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
The health secretary has purged career scientists and vaccine experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends immunizations for Americans, and he recently pushed out the CDC’s director after she resisted changes to vaccine policy.
California, Oregon and Washington, all Democratic-led states, this week announced a “West Coast Health Alliance” that will review scientific data and make vaccine recommendations, arguing that the CDC is no longer reliable under Kennedy’s authority. Hawaii, another Democratic state, announced on Thursday it would join the group.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey ordered her state’s insurers on Thursday to cover vaccines backed by the state’s health department, even if the CDC issues more limited recommendations.
Meanwhile, Florida’s surgeon general said on Wednesday the state would end all vaccine mandates, including those for schoolchildren, a move that Republican Governor Ron DeSantis endorsed.
Vaccination rates have been declining in the United States, alarming public health experts, who blame misinformation about their efficacy and safety.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Frank McGurty and Aurora Ellis)
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