The Biden administration is expanding the number of people who are now legally allowed to vaccinate people against Covid-19 to meet the “urgent need to expand the pool of Covid-19 vaccinators” and to increase access to vaccinations.
The US Health and Human Services Department said it amended the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act — otherwise known as the PREP Act — on Thursday.
These groups will now be able to vaccinate people:
- Now any person who is licensed or certified to administer vaccines in one state can vaccinate people in another state.
- Retired doctors and nurses whose license expired in the past five years are also eligible, as long as that license was in good standing before it became inactive.
Both groups will need to complete a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Covid-19 vaccine training.
For those health care professionals whose license has experienced or who are not currently practicing also need to be observed by a practicing professional for a set period of time.
“As vaccine supply is made more widely available over the coming months, having additional vaccinators at the ready will help providers and state health departments meet the demand for vaccine and protect their communities more quickly,” HHS Acting Secretary Norris Cochran said in a news release.
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