Cuomo Wants To Make Pharmacist Flu Shots For Children Permanent

Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a 30-day budget amendment that will encourage pharmacies to enroll in the New York State Vaccines for Children Program, which provides free vaccines for children and others who cannot pay for them.

The amendment would also codify the executive order that Cuomo signed this year allow pharmacists to administer vaccines to children between the ages of 2 and 18, hopefully making vaccines easier and more convenient for people to get.

"As flu diagnoses continue to grow, we must do everything we can to ensure all New Yorkers have access to the flu vaccine to protect them now and in the future," Cuomo said. "I urge all New Yorkers to protect themselves and their families, get a flu shot and join us in stamping out the spread of this dangerous virus."

Since Cuomo signed his executive order on Jan. 25, the state says that more than 6,300 children have been vaccinated at pharmacies. There have been four pediatric influenza deaths this flu season, with a fifth pediatric death currently under investigation, and 8,317 children under the age of five have been diagnosed with lab-confirmed influenza, and 731 have been hospitalized, according to the state. Parents and guardians with children between the ages of 6 and 24 months are still encouraged to see their primary care provider for the vaccination.

Additionally, to support the increasing demand for pediatric vaccinations as a result of the executive order and to ensure cost of the shot is not a barrier to getting vaccinated, Cuomo called on individual physicians to enroll in The New York State Vaccines for Children Program. This is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children that are eligible. A child is eligible if they are under 19 and meet any of the following criteria

• Uninsured
• Underinsured (have commercial health insurance but the insurance does not cover the flu vaccine, or the insurance caps coverage at a certain amount or number of visits)
• Native American or Alaska Native
• Medicaid-enrolled or Medicaid-eligible
• Enrolled in Child Health Plus

For the last nine weeks, influenza has been geographically widespread across New York. As of Feb. 3, there were 52,567 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza reported. This season, 11,802 people have been hospitalized with influenza in New York.

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