States Are Taking Steps to Ease Access to COVID-19 Vaccines as They Await Federal Recommendation

The governors of Arizona, Illinois, Maine and North Carolina have signed orders intended to make COVID-19 vaccines available in pharmacies for people without individual prescriptions. At least a dozen states have taken similar steps this month as this season’s version of the vaccine becomes available and a federal advisory council has not recommended yearly shots for nearly everyone as it did in previous years. Nearly all the governors taking action are Democrats. But the pharmacy chain CVS says most states have existing policies that allow access to the shots anyway.

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