Bucking Trump administration rules, New Jersey makes it easier to get COVID-19 vaccines

Just two weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of updated COVID-19 vaccines on Aug. 27, along with the restrictions on who can receive them, the New Jersey Department of Health has issued an executive directive that makes it easier to get a COVID-19 vaccine without a prescription. 

The FDA’s new guidance only allows vaccines for adults 65 and older and for anyone over 6 months of age with an underlying medical condition that puts them at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Children under 18 who are healthy can receive the shot, but only with a doctor’s prescription. 

The executive directive, issued on Sept. 9 and signed by the department’s acting commissioner, Jeffrey Brown, recommends and orders that anyone 6 months of age and older and eligible be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. A standing order authorizes pharmacists in New Jersey to administer COVID-19 immunizations without a prescription. 

“At a time when COVID-19 cases are increasing across the country and as part of my administration’s dedication to evidence-based public health action, I am committed to ensuring everyone in New Jersey who wants to receive a COVID-19 vaccination can receive a dose this fall from trusted health professionals,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.

“This is about equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine, which has been proven to prevent serious illness and hospitalization,” Brown said in the statement issued by Murphy’s office. “Especially as we enter cold and flu season and as students head back to school, New Jerseyans are reminded to stay up to date on all recommended vaccinations.”

While the directive clarifies who can obtain a vaccine in the state, the governor’s statement notes, “The Administration will continue to work to support the affordability of immunizations, but today’s actions cannot guarantee insurance coverage across all health plans.” Without guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health insurers may refuse to cover the cost of the shots, and patients may have to pay as much as $150 out of pocket.

Following the FDA announcement, CVS and Walgreens, two of the country’s largest pharmacy chains, announced they would not be providing COVID-19 vaccines in 16 states with regulations that require CDC guidance. New Jersey is not listed among them. But, according to the Asbury Park Press, CVS added to its website a box for patients wanting to schedule a vaccine appointment to check saying they either had a preexisting condition or were at least 65 years old.  

“Vaccines remain our strongest defense, helping to limit the spread of the virus, protecting individuals and communities, and reducing broader social impacts such as missed school and work, and reducing pressure on our health care system,” Dr. Novneet Sahu, deputy commissioner for public health services, said in the governor’s statement. 

The issue of vaccinations in general, particularly for children in New Jersey, is coming up in the race for New Jersey governor. Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill are running to replace Murphy, who is term-limited. The election takes place on Nov. 4.

Ciattarelli has continued to sow doubt about the validity of existing childhood immunization schedules.

“Jack will oppose a one-size-fits-all vaccination schedule, support medical and religious exemptions for vaccines, and create a parental rights ombudsman in state government to give parents more of a voice on key issues, including those seeking a philosophical vaccine exemption,” according to the health care section of his campaign website.

New Jersey’s childhood vaccination rate stands at just 63.7% of children in New Jersey born in 2020-21 had received all recommended doses of the combined seven-vaccine series by age 24 months, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

“Our state once had one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, but our measles vaccination rate for New Jersey kindergarteners in the 2023-2024 school year fell to 93.2%, below the recommended threshold of 95% needed for herd immunity,” Dr. Jennifer Chuang wrote in an op-ed published by northjersey.com. “Ocean County was 86.1%, making their children particularly vulnerable to an outbreak,” the internist and pediatrician said.  

In a recent interview with Pod Save America, Sherrill was asked how, as governor, she would handle the erosion of trust in vaccines, particularly measles vaccines.

“I’m incredibly concerned,” Sherrill told podcast host Tommy Vietor. “New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation. Because we’re about to go into the winter months, where all of the diseases become much more transmitted. … Without vaccines, our state could become very dangerous, especially for kids and for seniors,” she said. 

She added, “I’m almost just waiting to hear about cases here of polio and stuff. In listening to RFK Jr., who seems to get a lot of his information, and I wish this was just a snarky comment, but I think this is true, on TikTok and with influencers online,” Sherrill said about the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “To think that that’s the person, then, who’s not just the head of HHS, but actually making these huge decisions that could impact the nation, which is why governors, again, are so important. 

“Because actually there are coalitions now, and in the Northeast, we have some of the best research and development, really working as governor to make sure that we’re still putting out credible information, that we’re getting vaccines to people, still manufacturing those vaccines, is something I’m going to work with other governors in the Northeast like [Gov. Massachusetts] Maura Healey, who’s doing just that right now, to make sure that citizens in New Jersey are safe,”  Sherrill said.

To locate a vaccination provider, visit Vaccines.gov.