{"id":15532,"date":"2025-09-11T16:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=15532"},"modified":"2025-09-11T16:44:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:44:31","slug":"virginia-department-of-health-issues-statewide-standing-order-for-pharmacies-regarding-2025-2026-covid-19-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/virginia-department-of-health-issues-statewide-standing-order-for-pharmacies-regarding-2025-2026-covid-19-vaccine\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Department of Health Issues Statewide Standing Order for Pharmacies Regarding 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/span><\/b> –\u00a0<\/span><\/b>September 11, 2025<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>Media Contact: <\/span><\/b>Maria Reppas, <\/span>Maria.Reppas@vdh.virginia.gov<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Virginia Department of Health Issues Statewide Standing Order for Pharmacies Regarding 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccine<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(<\/span>RICHMOND, Va.<\/span><\/b>) \u2014<\/span> On September 10, <\/span>Virginia <\/span>State Health Commissioner Karen Shelton, MD<\/span><\/b>, signed a new <\/span>statewide<\/span><\/a> standing order<\/span><\/a> for pharmacies in Virginia to facilitate accessibility for pharmacists to administer the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As authorized by <\/span>Virginia Code<\/span><\/i> \u00a7 54.1-3408 (I), this standing order will allow pharmacists to administer the vaccine to Virginians 65 years of age and older and to Virginians between the ages of 18 and 64 years of age with at least one underlying medical condition without a prescription.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe realize this has been top of mind for many Virginians in the past several days,\u201d <\/span>Dr. Shelton <\/span><\/b>said, \u201cand we are resolved to increase access to the updated formulation of the COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible Virginians.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Virginia, pharmacists may administer vaccines in two ways: either under the direct authorization of a medical provider or by following the Virginia Board of Pharmacy\u2019s statewide pharmacy protocols. These statewide pharmacy protocols permit pharmacists to administer vaccines in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Immunization Schedule. Currently, the CDC schedule references the 2024\u20132025 COVID-19 vaccine formulation, but it does not yet include the 2025\u20132026 formulation, which is anticipated to better match the strains expected to circulate this season.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is scheduled to meet on September 18-19, 2025. VDH anticipates that ACIP will vote on the updated COVID-19 vaccines at this meeting.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The CDC Director, or Secretary of Health and Human Services, is then authorized to endorse or approve the recommendation with or without changes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Patients between the ages of 18 and 64 without underlying health conditions, as well as those under 18, are encouraged to speak with their healthcare provider regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –\u00a0September 11, 2025\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Media Contact: Maria Reppas, Maria.Reppas@vdh.virginia.gov\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Virginia Department of Health Issues Statewide Standing Order for Pharmacies Regarding 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccine\u00a0\u00a0 (RICHMOND, Va.) \u2014 On September 10, Virginia State Health Commissioner Karen Shelton, MD, signed a new statewide standing order for pharmacies in Virginia to facilitate accessibility for pharmacists to administer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15532","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nVirginia Department of Health Issues Statewide Standing Order for Pharmacies Regarding 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccine - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/virginia-department-of-health-issues-statewide-standing-order-for-pharmacies-regarding-2025-2026-covid-19-vaccine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Virginia Department of Health Issues Statewide Standing Order for Pharmacies Regarding 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccine - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –\u00a0September 11, 2025\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Media Contact: Maria Reppas, Maria.Reppas@vdh.virginia.gov\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Virginia Department of Health Issues Statewide Standing Order for Pharmacies Regarding 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccine\u00a0\u00a0 (RICHMOND, Va.) \u2014 On September 10, Virginia State Health Commissioner Karen Shelton, MD, signed a new statewide standing order for pharmacies in Virginia to facilitate accessibility for pharmacists to administer […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/virginia-department-of-health-issues-statewide-standing-order-for-pharmacies-regarding-2025-2026-covid-19-vaccine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-11T20:44:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/virginia-department-of-health-issues-statewide-standing-order-for-pharmacies-regarding-2025-2026-covid-19-vaccine\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/virginia-department-of-health-issues-statewide-standing-order-for-pharmacies-regarding-2025-2026-covid-19-vaccine\\\/\",\"name\":\"Virginia Department of Health Issues Statewide Standing Order for Pharmacies Regarding 2025-2026 COVID-19 Vaccine - 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