New Jersey Is the Latest State to Expand Access to Updated Covid Shots

New York|New Jersey Is the Latest State to Expand Access to Updated Covid Shots

New Jersey is following the lead of New York and several other states that are rebuffing efforts by the federal government to curtail the number of people eligible to receive the latest vaccines against the coronavirus.

The New Jersey Department of Health issued an order on Monday that paved the way for pharmacies to begin administering the latest coronavirus vaccines to anyone 3 years of age or older. Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York issued a similar order last week. At least four other states have also taken steps to make the most recent vaccines available to almost anyone who wants them.

The order from New Jersey health officials recommends that all people more than 6 months old continue to receive coronavirus vaccines. Patients younger than 3 can get shots at a clinic or doctors’ office.

The moves come amid a broader campaign that the Trump administration’s secretary for health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is waging against vaccines — especially shots that use mRNA technology, which was pivotal in the development of the most popular coronavirus shots. H.H.S. has canceled nearly $500 million in federal grants and contracts to develop mRNA vaccines, and scrapped a nearly $600 million contract to develop a vaccine against the bird flu.

Mr. Kennedy’s hand-selected members of a government advisory panel also withdrew longstanding recommendations for flu shots that contain an ingredient that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked to autism.

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration authorized updated coronavirus vaccines, but only for certain groups: those 65 and older, and younger people with underlying medical ailments that make Covid a greater danger to them. It was a sharp departure from authorizations by the F.D.A. in earlier years, when young and middle-aged people were eligible for shots regardless of whether they had underlying diseases or specific risk factors.

Since the F.D.A. released its limited authorization for coronavirus vaccines in August, pharmacies have taken different approaches to eligibility and to whom they would administer the latest shots.

Kelly McMahon, the executive director of a trade association for pharmacists in New York, said that despite the executive orders from state officials, some pharmacists remained hesitant to administer the vaccine to people not covered by the F.D.A.’s authorization.

“It’s always a concern when there is a direct conflict between what the state regulation is saying and what the federal regulations are saying,” Ms. McMahon, of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, said.

Ms. McMahon said some pharmacists in New York were also concerned that they wouldn’t be paid by insurance companies for vaccinations administered under the executive order. She noted that insurers might not regard the pharmacists as authorized providers.

“The big issue is whether or not the pharmacists are actually going to get paid,” she said, noting that some pharmacists were nervous about losing money if they purchased and administered vaccines but did not get paid by insurers.

“Some are holding off,” she said.

The F.D.A.’s limits on eligibility still clearly hold some sway, despite Gov. Hochul’s order. A CVS spokeswoman, Amy Thibault, wrote in an email on Wednesday that patients are asked to attest to their eligibility before getting vaccinated, indicating that they are 65 or older or have an underlying condition that puts them at particular risk.

Still, that reflects a dramatic change from CVS’s policy before Gov. Hochul’s order. Last week, Ms. Thibault said the company’s pharmacists in New York were requiring a doctor’s prescription before administering the updated coronavirus vaccines, no matter the customer’s age.

On the Walgreens website, customers seeking a coronavirus vaccine in New York are informed that if they are younger than 65, they are eligible only if they have specific risk factors or health conditions.

In addition to New York and New Jersey, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Pennsylvania are among other states that have issued similar orders.

The New Jersey order, signed by the acting health commissioner, Jeffrey A. Brown, states that the F.D.A.’s recent limits on vaccine eligibility are at odds with the views of the medical establishment. The result, the order states, has been “fear, uncertainty and confusion in New Jersey.”

Several states controlled by Democrats, including California, Oregon and Washington, are exploring a range of efforts to promote all vaccines, including the formation of a health alliance that would make recommendations independent from those of the federal government.