COVID-19 has ushered in a series of federal provisions intended to expand healthcare access across the U.S. But with the Biden Administration planning to end both the national emergency and public health emergency declarations this coming May, those provisions are at risk of either falling to the wayside or expiring in the next year.
The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP Act, is one such measure on the chopping block. Set to expire in 2024, the PREP Act allows pharmacies to administer pediatric-recommended vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines, expanding the role they play in immunization amid the pandemic. While 25 states have already made this authority permanent, the other half of America has not.
