Pharmacy Daily | COVID, bushfire ‘double whammy’

WESTERN Australian pharmacies are facing a "double whammy" of crises as bushfires and fresh COVID-19 restrictions spark panic-buying.

Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch President, Andrew Ngeow, told Pharmacy Daily that pharmacies across the state saw patient numbers in-store surge as Premier, Mark McGowan, announced a five-day lockdown of the Perth Metropolitan, Peel and South West regions, following the detection of a COVID-19 case linked to a hotel quarantine worker.

Ngeow said pharmacies in Perth saw a rush for face masks "as the Premier was making the announcement", noting the State was being hit with a "double whammy of bushfires and COVID".

With more than 70 homes destroyed by the fires, Ngeow praised the efforts of pharmacy workers in the face of the twin crises, noting that some lived in fire-affected areas.

Meanwhile, Wizard Pharmacy Professional Services Manager, Jeanette Drury, told Pharmacy Daily that the group's stores were taking steps to tackle panic buying.

"With the WA Government's announcement on Sun, we saw increased panic buying, especially of masks," she said.

"Our pharmacies have all been very focused on maintaining stock levels to satisfy demand as best as possible, impacting our suppliers and wholesalers.

"We have implemented quantity restrictions on some essentials to ensure safe and fair distribution for all over this period, which we hope puts our customers at ease during this difficult time."

Drury said Wizard Pharmacy teams had moved "quickly and effectively" to implement the mandatory mask rulings, while continuing to meet the medication and health-related needs of their local communities.

Drury noted that the bushfires were fueling concerns about air quality, but suggested the "lockdown mandate keeping people in their homes should actually help people with respiratory conditions as they will be less exposed to air pollution".