Australia needs you vaccinating

PHARMACY owners are being urged to ensure their pharmacists are trained to vaccinate, to support efforts to bolster immunisation rates ahead of the influenza season.

Former Pharmacy Guild of Australia Queensland Branch Director, Gerard Benedet, told delegates watching the Australian Pharmacy Professionals (APP) Conference online, last week that Federal, State and Territory health authorities were anxious about the potential impact the flu could have, as they treat patients with COVID-19.

“I cannot plead enough with pharmacists to get trained to be able to administer vaccinations,” he said.

“This flu season will be incredibly large.

“They [government health departments] are paranoid about the influenza peak being at the same time as the COVID peak in their hospitals, because it will cause enormous disruptions.

“Demand will outstrip what emergency departments will be able to handle.

“So please, if there’s a message you get out of this, [it] is get your staff trained and get them up to date to ensure they can deliver vaccinations.”

Former Guild National President and APP convenor, Kos Sclavos, added that the whole community pharmacy network needed to be in a position to provide immunisation services, should a vaccine for COVID-19 become available.

“The main message to pharmacists is when there is a vaccine for COVID-19 governments will be bashing down our doors to ensure that pharmacy quickly vaccinates,” he said.

“Now there are a lot of myths out there that it could be weeks away, but when it comes whether it be six months, 12 months [or longer] our profession needs to be ready.

“We can’t have 3,000 pharmacies doing it, we need 5,700 pharmacies providing the service.”

Benedet confirmed Guild branches will continue to provide vaccination training courses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The programs have been adapted to ensure compliance with close contact and social distancing recommendations, he said.