American Association of Nurse Practitioners Applauds Approval of COVID-19 Vaccine; Urges Public to Get Vaccinated
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) applauds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Emergency Use Authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for its efforts to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines. AANP urges the public to get vaccinated at the earliest opportunity. The association is committed to ensuring nurse practitioners (NPs) have access to the latest COVID-19 vaccine information to educate patients on the importance of vaccination.
“We commend the FDA, ACIP and the CDC for making effective science-based decisions that have brought us to this important day,” said Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, president of AANP, “and we urge everyone to get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them.”
The nation’s 290,000 NPs working across all health care settings, especially in primary care, are critical to educating and vaccinating patient populations across the country. AANP calls for NPs — along with all health care providers — to work collectively to ensure the successful distribution and delivery of vaccines. While today marks the beginning of this process, AANP will continue to stand with NPs and all health care providers to ensure that coordination and continuity of care is central to this process.
AANP supports CDC recommendations regarding the prioritization of at-risk populations, including NPs and all frontline health care workers, and looks forward to working with federal, state and local health authorities to ensure the most effective and efficient vaccination process possible to protect the health of patients nationwide.
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The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 290,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs' patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate an NP in your community, visit npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org. For COVID-19 information from AANP, visit aanp.org/COVID19.