Pennsylvania on Wednesday joined a small but growing number of states rolling out efforts to protect access to the COVID vaccine following the reversal of a long-standing vaccine policy by the Trump administration.

At the urging of Gov. Josh Shapiro, the State Board of Pharmacy, which provides regulatory oversight to pharmacies, voted to pre-empt federal vaccine recommendations and instead follow the guidance of several major medical organizations.

The approval from the state board means that Pennsylvania pharmacists no longer have to wait for or follow guidelines from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a branch of the Centers for Disease Control that sets national standards on vaccines.

The decision comes as the Department of Health and Human Services announced that COVI

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