Proposed bill would allow pharmacists to give vaccines

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — As parents flock to their pediatricians for vaccines, New York is considering passing a measure that would allow parents to go to their local pharmacist for childhood vaccines instead.

A new law in New York eliminates religious exemptions for vaccines for kids attending public schools. Doctors are now trying to keep up with the new demand for all the required shots.

If the bill is passed, parents could take a prescription from their child’s doctor to the pharmacy instead.

“It is so much easier to just walk in and grab a vaccine at a pharmacy than it is to make an appointment, wait in the waiting room, get called, get the vaccine, and leave,” pharmacist Dan Safee said. “It’s a couple of hours out of your day when you can just stop and grab it at a local pharmacy.”

Pharmacists are already cleared to give some vaccines like the flu shot.

The bill is currently under review in the State Senate Rules Committee.