SUGGESTIONS that community pharmacists are administering "weaker" flu vaccines to elderly patients, aired on Channel Seven Perth on Tue, should be retracted and clarified immediately, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia believes.
The Guild's WA Branch President, Andrew Ngeow, has called on the broadcaster to correct the error made in a report relating to claims made by a South Australian GP (PD 28 Apr).
Ngeow said the broadcaster had a responsibility to clarify community pharmacy's participation in the WA National Immunisation Program (NIP).
He added that the WA Department of Health advised that "all available quadrivalent influenza vaccines (QIVs) can be used for individuals aged 65 and older through the NIP".
"However, the specially formulated adjuvanted QIV, Fluad Quad, is preferentially recommended over standard QIVs," he said.
"Quite simply, there is no weaker vaccine, only approved vaccines.
"We were dismayed that inaccuracies in the Channel Seven Perth report may have caused confusion to our vulnerable elderly population, resulting in their delaying receiving an influenza vaccine through the NIP.
"At the time of a global pandemic, the importance of increasing access to vaccines has never been greater and we demand Channel Seven Perth address their error."
Meanwhile, the Guild's National President, Trent Twomey, has called on all State and Territory Governments to embrace a harmonised policy on pharmacist access to the NIP.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 29 Apr 21
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 29 Apr 21
