Cambridge Health Alliance hasn’t adopted new federal government restrictions on Covid vaccinations – the ones that make it harder to get shots for most people, including pregnant people, children and adults under 65 unless they have health conditions that put them at higher risk from the virus.
Instead, the health care system will follow more expansive recommendations from medical societies and the state health department, CHA spokesperson David Cecere said Aug. 28.
Cecere said Cambridge Health Alliance will follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
And six days later, the state health department made it clear that it also won’t follow the restrictions adopted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The health department announced new rules Wednesday intended to clear the way for Massachusetts pharmacies to administer the updated vaccines to anyone five years old and older, regardless of whether they have underlying conditions putting them at higher risk from Covid.
“No matter what happens with Robert Kennedy and the federal government, we are going to make sure vaccines remain available in Massachusetts,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “At my direction, our Commissioner of Public Health issued an order on Friday to allow pharmacies to continue to provide Covid vaccines to Massachusetts residents. We are working to ensure that all pharmacies make the vaccine available as soon as possible.”
Though the state didn’t say so in its announcement of the order, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy must approve the new “standing orders.” That could explain why customers still can’t make an online appointment for a Covid vaccination at CVS and Walgreens as of Wednesday. Asked about the situation, CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault said CVS is aware of the new orders and is “awaiting BOP (the Board of Registration in Pharmacy) action.”
The overwhelming majority of Massachusetts residents get vaccinated at pharmacies. Cambridge Health Alliance is unusual in that it runs vaccination clinics and allows patients to make an appointment solely for a vaccination. The Alliance’s pharmacies also offer walk-in vaccinations.
Before the state adopted the new “standing orders” for pharmacists, the major drug store chains as well as the locally run Inman Pharmacy couldn’t provide the shots because state regulations required them to use vaccines approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — and that agency hadn’t met to consider the issue. After health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, dismissed the members of the committee that considers vaccine approvals, pro-vaccine health experts feared what the committee might decide
The new standing orders allow pharmacists to administer the two updated mRNA Covid vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna and the more conventional protein-based vaccine made by Novavax. There is no mention of CDC approval. The only restrictions, beyond the usual caveats about allergies and how long to wait between vaccinations, are age, because each of the three vaccines was approved for a different age group. The orders don’t apply to vaccinations for children under five because they get their shots at a pediatrician’s office, not a pharmacy, a spokesperson for Healey said.
The professional groups named by Cecere have been among critics of vaccination decisions by the Trump administration’s Health and Human Services department, headed by Kennedy. The medical societies have sought to counter the government’s vaccination policies by issuing their own vaccination advisories. The state health department was previously researching how it could reject the government policies legally, The New York Times has reported.
Meanwhile, the Alliance is already providing Covid shots to children from 6 months to 18 years old in its clinics and awaits shipments of adult vaccines that were approved this week, Cecere said Aug. 28. When the adult doses arrive, CHA “will administer them in our care centers and pharmacies,” Cecere said. He didn’t respond Wednesday when asked if the adult vaccines have arrived.
A spokesperson for Beth Israel Lahey Health, which includes Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, said the healthcare system is awaiting a decision from CDC.
Varying recommendations
The Food and Drug Administration approved on Aug. 27 the latest versions of Covid vaccines made by Moderna Pfizer and Novavax – but for the first time restricted shots for those under 65. Children and adults under 65 can get the shots if they have an underlying condition that increases their risk of severe disease from the virus, and the vaccines are approved for healthy children under 18 only if they consult with a doctor, the FDA said. People 65 and older face no restrictions, the same policy as before Kennedy became head of HHS.
Earlier, in May, the CDC dropped its recommendation that pregnant people be vaccinated. CDC had previously recommended shots for pregnant people to protect infants, who can’t be vaccinated until they’re 6 months old. While the agency no longer advises pregnant people to get vaccinated, it also lists pregnancy as a condition with high risk from Covid, which could entitle an adult under 65 to a shot.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists this month reiterated its recommendation that all pregnant, recently pregnant and nursing people be vaccinated.
Vaccines for kids
Each of the three approved Covid vaccines covers a different age group: Only Moderna is approved for children as young as 6 months; Pfizer is authorized for those 5 and older; Novavax for people 12 and older.
The pediatricians group is recommending that all children from 6 months to 2 years old be vaccinated, as well as moderately to severely immunocompromised children from 6 months to 18 years old. Children from 2 to 18 should be vaccinated if they have a high-risk condition, live in a nursing home or other congregate facility, have never been vaccinated or live with someone at high risk from Covid, such as someone over 65.
The recommendations also say any child outside those risk groups should get a shot if their parent or guardian requests it.
While the new health department rules would allow pharmacies in Massachusetts to provide the updated Covid shots regardless of CDC approval or high-risk medical condition, a federal program that helps finance free vaccination clinics in Cambridge does need a favorable CDC vote. The Vaccines for Children Program has provided vaccine for Cambridge Department of Public Health vaccine clinics.
Public health department spokesperson Rachel Heafield-Spaley said Wednesday the department “is still working on planning our fall vaccine clinics, and we are committed to providing flu vaccines along with the Covid-19 vaccines for all those who are eligible. For children under five who the pharmacy standing orders do not cover, we think it is likely that primary care offices (including pediatricians’ offices) will carry the Covid-19 vaccine. We hope to be able to do so as well pending availability, eligibility and insurance coverage at our fall clinics. As you know, both federal and state guidance are shifting rapidly.”
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.
