HHS Extends PREP Act Immunity for COVID Vaccines Through 2029
- December 13, 2024
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is extending certain liability protections under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) for developing and administering COVID-19 vaccines through December 31, 2029.
In a December 11 Federal Register notice (89 Fed. Reg. 99875), the HHS Secretary said that COVID-19 continues to present a “credible risk of a future public health emergency.” Extending PREP Act coverage “is intended to prepare for and mitigate” that credible risk, the notice said.
The amendment to the PREP Act declaration extends coverage through December 31, 2029 for manufacturing, distribution, administration, and use of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments that are licensed or authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration.
The declaration further extends PREP Act coverage through December 31, 2029 for licensed pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and qualified pharmacy technicians who administer COVID-19 vaccines, seasonal influenza vaccines, and COVID-19 tests.