The New York State Department of Health on Wednesday issued a standing order that would allow pharmacists to administer the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine to people over 60 and pregnant without a separate prescription from their doctor, DOH said Commissioner Dr. James McDonald.
“This updated standing order expands access to the RSV vaccine, allowing pregnant people to protect their unborn child against RSV and also allowing older adults to protect themselves, all with a simple trip to the pharmacy for the vaccine,” McDonald said Wednesday in a statement. . “Since RSV can cause serious illness in infants and older adults, I strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to receive the vaccination now to protect their own health and the health of their loved ones.”
The first RSV vaccine for pregnant people was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in August. In September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended pregnant women get the RSV vaccine. The CDC said that if the parent is vaccinated 14 days or more before the birth of their child, these antibodies will protect the child for up to eight months.
The latest recommendations from the CDC are that pregnant people should receive an RSV vaccine during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy to prevent severe RSV disease in infants.
RSV is a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and respiratory tract. According to the CDC, 160,000 Americans over the age of 60 are hospitalized each year, and 6,000 to 10,000 die.
