Rick Fernandez has seen a lot in his 34 years at Walgreens.
From a Walgreens pharmacy intern to his current role as the regional healthcare director of greater Texas, Fernandez has witnessed the evolution of the company and the pharmacy industry, in addition to navigating COVID-19 vaccinations and testing during the pandemic. But the recent measles outbreak in West Texas has been something different altogether.
“It’s been a surprise," Fernandez says.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there have been 624 confirmed cases of measles in Texas since late January. During that time, the agency also reported 64 hospitalizations and two deaths of unvaccinated school-aged children who lived in the outbreak area.
“The more measles media coverage there is, the more people are coming in to ask for the measles vaccine,” Fernandez says.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends two doses of measles vaccine for children, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months old and the second dose at age 4 through 6 years before a child begins school. Anyone who missed getting their doses as a child should get up to date, the CDC says. The measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR vaccine, is one of several vaccines available at Walgreens, and Fernandez says this year his pharmacists are administering it to patients far more often than usual.
“We’re also getting requests for vaccines that we don’t administer often, like polio,” Fernandez says. “There’s still interest in flu shots as well, which is uncommon for this time of year.”
In addition to administering vaccines, Walgreens pharmacists can help access a patient’s immunization records and recommend other vaccines based on their age. Pharmacists can also administer more than one vaccine during a single visit.
“If a patient does not have the MMR vaccine, they may be missing other vaccinations as well,” he says.
Fernandez, who oversees more than 800 Walgreens locations in Texas and New Mexico, says his pharmacists are doing what they can to support the communities they serve during this outbreak, but there are some limits to how they can help.
“Due to regulations in Texas, our pharmacists can only administer the MMR vaccine to those who are age 14 and older,” he says. “Pharmacists can vaccinate a patient younger than 14 only if they have a prescription for this vaccine from an authorized prescriber.” Many other states allow pharmacists to administer vaccines to eligible patients who are age 3 and up.
Another challenge: Only Texas pharmacists can administer the MMR vaccine and not pharmacy technicians. This restriction places additional operational and staffing strain on pharmacists, who must already juggle high prescription volumes with clinical services.
“Some state boards of pharmacy can change vaccination rules like this with a vote, but in Texas, legislation is required to change the rules,” Fernandez says, describing how the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act gave pharmacists and pharmacy techs more flexibility with testing and vaccination rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps something like this could be explored amid the measles outbreak, he says.
Fernandez also noted that proposed Texas legislation would allow pharmacists to delegate administering an MMR vaccination, for example, to a trained pharmacy tech in certain circumstances.
“If passed, this legislation would provide patients with quicker and easier access to vaccines,” he says, noting that immunization-certified pharmacy techs administer vaccines in neighboring New Mexico. “Why not Texas?”
Despite an increase in demand for the MMR vaccine, Walgreens remains equipped to meet patient demand and urge them to consult with their local pharmacists if they have any questions. You can get your vaccine by walking into your local Walgreens pharmacy or you can make an appointment with the Walgreens vaccine scheduler.
“Walgreens has nearly all preventive vaccines in its stores, with most covered at zero cost by health plans,” Fernandez says.
