CVS to Offer Updated COVID Vaccines in Nevada Following State Guidance Change
CARSON CITY, Nev. – CVS Pharmacy will begin offering the updated COVID-19 vaccine in nevada after the state’s Board of Pharmacy issued new guidance Friday, the Nevada Current confirmed. The company previously announced it would not carry the vaccine in Nevada, citing state regulations.CVS confirmed the change in a statement, saying they will make the vaccines available “as soon as possible” at pharmacies throughout the state. “Following today’s regulatory action by the Nevada Board of Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy will ensure COVID-19 vaccinations are available as soon as possible at our pharmacies throughout the state,” a company spokesperson said.
The initial decision not to offer the vaccine stemmed from Nevada regulations requiring pharmacists to administer only drugs approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP has not yet approved this season’s COVID vaccine,and now includes members appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy jr. who have expressed vaccine skepticism.According to reporting by The Nevada Independent, the Board of Pharmacy persistent that pharmacists are permitted to widely administer vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The Board of Pharmacy did not instantly respond to a request for comment from the Current Friday afternoon. Its website is currently offline due to a recent ransomware attack impacting the state’s details technology systems.
Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, who urged the state to address vaccine access on Thursday, plans to review the new guidance.A spokesperson for Cannizzaro said she will determine “whether this is a sufficient long-term fix or whether it’s just a temporary solution and further action might potentially be needed.”
The office of Gov. Joe Lombardo has not responded to inquiries from the Current regarding the vaccine’s initial unavailability and his confidence in future recommendations from the CDC and ACIP.
By April Corbin Girnus, Nevada Current