(a) A doctor of podiatric medicine may independently prescribe and administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration in compliance with the individual federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) influenza and COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, and published by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to persons three years of age or older.

(b) In order to prescribe and administer a vaccine described in subdivision (a), a doctor of podiatric medicine shall do all of the following:

Terms Used In California Business and Professions Code 2473

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Board: means the Podiatric Medical Board of California. See California Business and Professions Code 2461
  • podiatric medicine: means the diagnosis, medical, surgical, mechanical, manipulative, and electrical treatment of the human foot, including the ankle and tendons that insert into the foot and the nonsurgical treatment of the muscles and tendons of the leg governing the functions of the foot. See California Business and Professions Code 2472
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Business and Professions Code 21
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs, unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Business and Professions Code 15

(1) Complete an immunization training program biennially that is either offered by the CDC or taken through a registered provider approved by the board that, at a minimum, includes vaccine administration, prevention and management of adverse reactions, and maintenance of vaccine records.

(2) Comply with all state and federal recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including providing documentation to the patient’s primary care provider, if applicable, and entering in the information in the appropriate immunization registry designated by the Immunization Branch of the State Department of Public Health.

(c) The board may adopt regulations to implement this section. The adoption, amendment, repeal, or readoption of a regulation authorized by this section is deemed to address an emergency, for purposes of Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of the Government Code, and the board is hereby exempted for this purpose from the requirements of subdivision (b) of § 11346.1 of the Government Code. For purposes of subdivision (e) of § 11346.1 of the Government Code, the 180-day period, as applicable to the effective period of an emergency regulatory action and submission of specified materials to the Office of Administrative Law, is hereby extended to 240 days.

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 653, Sec. 4. (AB 526) Effective October 8, 2021.)