SOUTH Australian Health Minister, Stephen Wade, believes it is too early to tell whether or not pharmacists will play a role in administering COVID-19 vaccines (COVAX) in the State.
Wade's comments came in response to a question from Australian Labor Party Legislative Council member, Tung Ngo, who asked, "has the minister worked out a plan as to who will be administering the vaccine, and will be considering getting local pharmacists to administer some of the vaccines as well"?
"Certainly, the honourable member is correct: in the development of any vaccine program you need to consider all of the distribution opportunities, and pharmacists have certainly been playing an increasing role in terms of vaccinations," Wade said.
"In terms particularly of the COVID vaccine, I think it is too early to tell.
"Again I preface my remarks by saying, I am a politician, not a clinician, but my understanding...is that some of the vaccines that are under development have particularly high standards in terms of storage and distribution, so, if you like, it may not be within the infrastructure of a pharmacist to deliver the cold chain requirements of a COVID-19 vaccine.
"But again, the complexities are such that in my understanding we are not necessarily going to use one vaccine.
"It may well be that some vaccines have storage and distribution requirements that are within the scope of the pharmacy network and that brand might be deployed for a certain cohort through pharmacists, but I am wandering into the hypotheticals, so I must desist."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 17 Nov 20
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 17 Nov 20
