Report: Gov. Hochul to issue vaccine executive order

Report: Gov. Hochul to issue vaccine executive order

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is set to sign an executive order Friday that will make it easier to get the COVID-19 vaccine at pharmacies statewide. 

The order will authorize pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines to anyone over 3 years old without a prescription. New York pharmacies currently require a prescription to get the latest shot. 

Hochul’s order is designed to circumvent new vaccine limits put in place by the federal government last week. 

“By signing this EO, Governor Hochul is making it clear that when Washington Republicans play politics with public health, New Yorkers will still be able make their own health care decisions and get the care they need from trusted providers in their community,” a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement. 

The governor is scheduled to visit an elementary school Friday morning in Port Washington on Long Island, where she will discuss the details of the new order.

RFK Jr. faces contentious vaccine hearing on Capitol Hill

The governor’s announcement comes a day after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced questions on Capitol Hill over recent changes to the federal vaccine policy and a spate of firings and resignations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“These changes were absolutely necessary adjustments to restore the agency to its role as the world’s gold standard public health agency,” he testified.   

Last week, Kennedy pushed out former CDC Director Susan Monarez, prompting a number of resignations. 

In an op-ed Thursday, Monarez wrote she was fired after refusing to, “pre-approve the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed anti-vaccine rhetoric.”

Check back soon for updates on this story. 

Renee Anderson

Renee Anderson is a digital producer at CBS New York, where she covers breaking news and other local stories. Before joining the team in 2016, Renee worked at WMUR-TV.