At the end of this year, the Third Amendment to the PREP Act will expire, ending the liability protections that have allowed pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and pharmacy technicians to independently administer vaccines and test to treat services for COVID-19. Since 2020, licensed pharmacists in all 50 states have been able to use this new authority to expand vaccination and testing services to more patients, specifically children ages 3-18, where in some states they had not been permitted within the state’s pharmacy scope of practice.
All but four states have made progress towards expanding vaccination and testing in pharmacies since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, millions of patients will still be affected in states that haven’t adequately expanded the scope of pharmacy practice.
NCPA will prioritize expansion of vaccines and testing so that we can build on the gains community pharmacies have made over the last four years.
