Hochul Issues Executive Order Allowing NY Pharmacies To Administer COVID Vaccines Without Prescription

NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Friday that will allow pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines, providing access for all New Yorkers who wish to be vaccinated.

The order comes as the Trump administration's approach to COVID-19 vaccine guidance and a not-yet-held vaccine advisory meeting has made it difficult for individuals to get the shots at pharmacies in Washington, D.C. and other states, according to NBC Washington.

Hochul's executive order will be in place for at least 30 days "while a long-term legislative solution is developed to address access to all vaccines in order to combat the Trump administration’s misguided attack on immunization and healthcare," Hochul said.

"I promised New Yorkers that their family would be my fight. In the absence of federal leadership, we must do everything we can to ensure that New Yorkers have access to the vaccines and preventative healthcare they have come to rely on," Hochul said. "By signing this executive order, we are sending a clear message that when Washington Republicans play politics with public health, New Yorkers can still get the care they need, close to home, from trusted providers in their own communities."

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald added: "Governor Hochul’s executive order provides access to the COVID vaccine for New Yorkers who choose to get vaccinated, sets us up for a smoother transition to the updated 2025 to 2026 vaccine and restores pharmacies as a vital part of our vaccination network. While New York State does not require COVID vaccines, vaccination remains one of the most effective tools we have to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID."

Most pharmacies in New York rely on "standing orders" — non-patient-specific prescriptions that give them authority to administer vaccines to broad groups of people, Hochul said. Those standing orders are typically based on recommendations from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, she added.

"Just this summer, the federal government pulled more than $500 million in mRNA vaccine funding — undoing what had once been considered a signature achievement of the first Trump Administration — creating further uncertainty around access," Hochul said.

Hochul noted that in June, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced a majority of ACIP members "with individuals known to oppose vaccination. Since then, ACIP has not issued updated guidance for the 2025 to 26 COVID vaccine and is not scheduled to meet until September 18."

Without that federal guidance, many pharmacies in New York began restricting access to the COVID vaccine, particularly for:

• Children ages 3 to 17
• Pregnant people
• Adults under age 65 without underlying conditions

Hochul said the executive order addresses the gap by declaring a 30-day statewide emergency and expanding who can prescribe and administer COVID vaccines. The order allows physicians and nurse practitioners to issue patient-specific or non-patient-specific orders to pharmacists for patients as young as 3, expands pharmacists’ authority to administer vaccines to children under 18, and, for the first time, permits pharmacists to prescribe COVID vaccines themselves, Hochul said.

The executive order is part of Hochul's long-term strategy to protect access to vaccinations in New York, she said; her aim is to begin working with the legislature on a solution that will ensure permanent and continuing access to vaccines, including administration of vaccines by healthcare professionals, school immunization schedules, and insurance coverage of vaccines.

To support the expansion, Commissioner McDonald will also be issuing a standing order for the COVID vaccine, ensuring that pharmacists statewide can continue to provide timely and convenient access. In the coming days, Commissioner McDonald and the Department of Health will issue detailed guidance to support pharmacies, clinicians and other vaccine administrators.