Overview

• The executive order directs the Arizona Department of Health Services to issue a standing order that acts as a prescription for pharmacists to administer the updated vaccines using guidance from groups such as AAP, ACOG and AAFP.
• The Arizona Board of Pharmacy is instructed to authorize standing orders so the shots are broadly available to residents who want them.
• The governor also directs the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions to encourage health plans to cover the vaccines.
• Before the order, pharmacists in Arizona could not give COVID-19 vaccines without a CDC ACIP recommendation, which conflicted with the FDA’s recent limited approvals for people 65 and older and others at high risk.
• Arizona becomes the latest Democratic-led state to expand availability, following moves in California, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, New York and New Jersey.