Pharmacies doing more flu shots than ever

A local pharmacist says his pharmacy has already done double the volume of influenza vaccinations that it normally handles by this stage of a flu season.

Greg Bueckert, pharmacist and owner of Greg’s Remedy’s RX, says they have already done between 300 and 500 vaccinations. They have used up the original allotment they were given and are now on the second allotment.

According to online information, Alberta’s pharmacists have already given more than 1 million flu shots, of the 1.4 million that had been reported by Dec. 17.

“It’s been very busy,” said Bueckert. “Because there were no appointments required it attracted a lot of people to us.”

Greg’s Remedy’s made sure they had two pharmacists always available to do flu shots. People just walked in and were assisted with no need to be kept waiting, he explained. Feedback from the public was very positive. They liked having the option of just walking in for the shot when it suited them.

“We had a huge amount of people for the first time. They had never got flu shots before. They are all more aware of the situation,” said Bueckert.

This is the first influenza season that Alberta Health Services has not held community vaccination clinics and for the most part has relied on pharmacists and family doctors to provide the shots. Families with younger children still have the option of arranging an appointment with AHS.

In other years AHS would hold vaccination clinics at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede grounds from November and into December. Specific days were often allocated for seniors and others for families with children.

Based on the AHS Dec. 17 report Alberta still has not identified any cases of influenza A and influenza B this season.

Bueckert says it is one of the fringe benefits of COVID-19. He believes the health measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 have been very effective in stopping the spread of influenza A and B.

“It is tough to live under the COVID rules and it is tough to operate but there are some obvious benefits,” said Bueckert.

NEWS PHOTO GILLIAN SLADE Greg Bueckert, pharmacist Greg’s Remedy’s RX, says there has been double the usual volume of people seeking the annual influenza vaccine. It is the first year that Alberta Health Services did not hold community clinics for vaccinations.