National Pharmacy Week (October 19-25, 2025) is a time to recognize the role of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in patient care. Pharmacists wear many hats to ensure safe medication use and access to key healthcare services, spanning a variety of practice settings. One vital role for pharmacists in public health is vaccinating the public.
In 2022, it was estimated that 89% of the U.S. population lived within five miles of a pharmacy, serving as a convenient access point for getting vaccination. In fact, pharmacies were the most common setting for vaccination during the 2023-2024 respiratory season, with pharmacists giving more than 70 percent of COVID-19 vaccines and more than 80 percent of RSV vaccines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists stepped up to meet mass vaccination efforts, administering upward of 300 million vaccines. In addition to providing seasonal vaccinations, pharmacists are equipped to review full vaccine history, determine eligibility, and administer other appropriate vaccines, such as for pneumonia, shingles, and human papillomavirus.
Pharmacists have been administering vaccinations for decades, with more than 500,000 immunization-trained pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the United States. The authority for pharmacy professionals to provide immunizations is regulated by state-specific laws, meaning that the vaccines offered and age-groups that can be vaccinated by a pharmacy differ from state-to-state. For example, some states may regulate that pharmacists can administer all ACIP-recommended vaccines for individuals above a certain age group. While other states may permit vaccination in alignment with recommendations by trusted authorities, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and the Food and Drug Administration. In addition to state regulations, the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act was enacted in 2020 (and extended through 2029) to permit pharmacists in all 50 states to administer COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines that are recommended by CDC/ACIP to patients at least three years old, particularly to expand pediatric vaccination in states where not previously permitted.
In addition to administering the vaccines, pharmacists are positioned to tackle vaccine hesitancy, a key threat to global health according to the World Health Organization. As trustworthy sources of health information, pharmacists can build confidence among the community in vaccines, the providers that administer them, and the process behind vaccine approval and recommendations. Given the accessibility of pharmacists in the community (with extended store hours and frequent walk-in availability), they are also positioned to address misinformation and answer vaccine-related questions, including questions about vaccine components, adverse effects, and risk-benefit assessments.
To summarize, pharmacists do a great deal to provide vaccines to the community each year during respiratory season, as well as throughout the year to ensure individuals are current on vaccine schedules. It’s important to understand the state-specific scope of pharmacist-administered vaccination, to ensure patients have current information regarding access. Pharmacists are positioned to address vaccine hesitation and patient questions to instill confidence in the community.
At DynaMed, we appraise and summarize vaccine trials and postmarketing data to ensure that vaccine recommendations are supported by evidence. Additionally, our team of clinical pharmacists work to optimize medication content by conducting detailed reviews and maintaining currency of drug information, including vaccine content, to ensure useful information at point of care and to equip providers with vaccination resources.
You can count on pharmacists to play a unique and important role in healthcare, leading immunization efforts and instilling vaccine confidence.
