Maryland parents may have more vaccine options for their children next year if a new bill passes through the General Assembly.
The legislation would allow pharmacists to order and administer vaccines for children 5 years and older as long as the vaccine is on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s schedule list.
Sarah Price, the vice president of government affairs at the Maryland Association of Chain Drug Stores, told the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday that the bill could help children get vaccinated faster and help parents with their schedules.
“Over half of Maryland's kids do not have a consistent medical home and 19 of our counties have more pharmacies and pediatricians. pharmacies have shown that they can provide the service effectively,” she said.
Currently, pharmacists can only administer flu vaccines to children at least 9-years-old and other vaccines to children who are 11 and older.
Sen. Malcom Augustine is the sponsor of the bill. He introduced a similar bill last year that would have allowed pharmacists to administer vaccines to children 3 years and older.
That bill failed because physicians said it was important for pediatricians to see children younger than 5 for developmental reasons.
About 17 states in the U.S. allow pharmacists to administer vaccines to children.