CDC shakeups have made COVID-19 shots hard to get in Pa. — for now.

Lawmakers, advocates, and Gov. Shapiro are considering moves to bypass the CDC’s new MAHA vaccine commission.

Pharmacies across Pennsylvania are holding off on administering new COVID-19 vaccines until the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) vaccine advisory committee recommends them, or the commonwealth writes new rules on how to authorize them.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that CVS and Walgreens, the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, have severely restricted access to the seasonal vaccines in Pennsylvania and other states.

Trade groups representing independent and small chain pharmacies across the state have told the Capital-Star that they’re following suit, at least until there’s more clarity from federal regulators, or new guidance from the state.

“The easiest thing to tell you is COVID vaccines are on pause until we have better clarification,” said John DeJames, president of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.

However, DeJames also said there is no reason yet for Pennsylvanians who want a COVID-19 vaccine to panic. Many pharmacies have yet to receive shipments of the latest seasonal vaccines, he said, and the optimal time to get one is around the start of October.

“In my opinion, instead of rushing to judgement, let’s wait and see how this pans out,” DeJames said.

As it stands, Pennsylvania’s State Board of Pharmacy is responsible for determining when and to whom pharmacists can administer vaccines. And its is statutorily bound to follow guidance from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The federal panel has yet to recommend the latest round of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, which means pharmacies in the commonwealth are largely unable to administer them.

The committee is set to meet in mid-September. But shakeups at the CDC, including the recent firing of its director, Susan Monarez, and the appointment of vaccine skeptics to key positions at the behest of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has some pharmacists, lawmakers and elected leaders in Pennsylvania concerned that the agency may place new, politicized restrictions on COVID-19 shots.

In June, Kennedy replaced all 17 members of the vaccine advisory committee, which he described as an effort to restore public trust.

Meanwhile, Gov. Josh Shapiro, a handful of lawmakers, and advocates like the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association are considering what actions the state could take to possibly bypass the CDC’s recommendations altogether, if the federal body places severe restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines.

Reading the tea leaves, some have pointed to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent ruling that restricted who can receive COVID-19 shots this year.

In previous years, the agency approved the shots for broad use. But this year, they approved the latest vaccines for at-risk Americans, like those 65 and older or younger adults and children with pre-existing conditions or other health risks. 

The list includes smokers, people who are obese, and those with diseases that could impact the severity of a COVID-19 infection.

Still, it’s up to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee to formally recommend the shot. While the panel is scheduled to convene in September, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has called on the vaccine advisory committee to delay in the wake of the CDC Director’s firing.

Marc Ost, the co-owner of Eric’s RX Shoppe in Montgomery County, said it’s been difficult having so much uncertainty around what may happen with the COVID-19 vaccine. As it stands, he’s not administering them.

“We’ve had a lot of patients come into the store. We’ve had a lot of patients call wondering when they can get the new vaccine, or when we’ll have it in stock,” Ost said. “The frustrating part has been the lack of answers we can give patients.”

What can Pennsylvania do?

State Rep. Arvind Venkat (D-Allegheny), an emergency physician as well as a lawmaker, is worried about the politicization of vaccination recommendations under Kennedy’s health department.

“Secretary Kennedy has made up his mind that vaccines are harmful,” Venkat said. “He doesn’t seem to be willing to accept any evidence — very robust evidence — that that is simply not the case.”

Since Kennedy removed and replaced every member of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Venkat began working on legislation to ensure continued access to COVID-19 shots and other vaccines.

Last Thursday, Venkat and other Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill to require private insurance to cover vaccines recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

But since he heard CVS would not be widely offering COVID-19 shots in Pennsylvania, he’s begun pushing for Shapiro and the legislature to work together to ensure pharmacies in the state can administer the shots, regardless of the CDC’s recommendations. But, he said he’s early in that process.

One solution, he said, would be an executive order from Shapiro. But, he called that approach a  short-term solution. 

Rosie Lapowsky, a spokesman for Shapiro, did not respond directly to questions about whether he would consider executive action, but pointed to a recent social media post from the governor.

“The Trump Administration’s outrageous decision to limit access to the COVID vaccine is an affront to Pennsylvanians’ personal freedom and parental rights,” Shapiro wrote Friday. “My Administration is currently reviewing all of our options to ensure Pennsylvanians have access to the health care they want and will have more to say soon.”

For a long-term fix, Venkat is considering possible legislation, though no bill has been drafted.

“I am discussing with my colleague to rapidly push such legislation forward,” Venkat said. “The severity of this issue just became apparent, at least to me.”

Ost, the co-owner of Eric’s RX Shoppe, also said he and other pharmacists are pushing for the State Board of Pharmacy to consider the recommendations of another authority, instead of the CDC vaccine panel when authorizing pharmacists to administer vaccines.

The Pennsylvania Pharmacy Association sent a letter to the State Board of Pharmacy, recommending they “act swiftly to approve alternate competent authorities in order to avoid disruption to efforts of patients seeking vaccinations from their pharmacy.”

They recommended the board follow guidance from the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others.

In May, Kennedy said the CDC would no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women. The groups recommended by the Pennsylvania Pharmacy Association still do

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees the State Board of Pharmacy, referred questions to Shapiro’s office. A spokesperson for the U.S. Dept. of Health did not respond to a request for commentheal