An executive order signed Friday by Gov. JB Pritzker aims to ensure Illinois residents have access to the appropriate vaccines ahead of the fall respiratory virus season.

The order establishes the Statewide Vaccine Access Initiative, led by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Pritzker said the order was necessary following recent changes to vaccine policies by federal health agencies and specifically called out the “volatile and concerning actions” of Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“When the federal government abandons its responsibility, Illinois will step up,” Pritzker said. “We will follow the science, listen to medical experts and do everything in our power to enable families to receive the care they need.”

The order directs the IDPH to “iss

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