Pharmacy Daily | Hunt open to Guild COVAX proposal

FEDERAL Health Minister, Greg Hunt, hopes to "reach a landing" on plans to accelerate the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines (COVAX) through community pharmacies within the next two weeks.

Hunt described a proposal from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, which would see regional, rural and remote pharmacies in areas with limited or no access to GP services, join the Federal Government's COVAX campaign in Phase 1b, rather than in Phase 2a as originally planned.

The Guild's "fast start pharmacy" proposal would allow approved pharmacies in areas such as Cape York, Mount Isa and Magnetic Island to administer shots as soon as the Minister gives the green light, the Courier Mail reported.

Guild National President, Trent Twomey, said efforts to accelerate the involvement of community pharmacies would help Australia reach herd immunity faster than through the proposed mass vaccination hubs proposed by the NSW State Government (PD 16 Apr).

"Let's leave the large Soviet-style mass vaccination hubs as a measure of last resort," he said.

In recent weeks Twomey has highlighted the successful role that pharmacists in the US have played in the COVAX rollout.

Pushing home the potential of pharmacies, Twomey shared an article from the Wall Street Journal, which noted that New York's "small non-chain pharmacies are able to serve those reluctant or unable to travel to mass-vaccination sites or navigate online registration, as well as those hesitant to get the shot", by virtue of being local, to the Facebook accounts of Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and Hunt.

Meanwhile, the Guild is partnering with the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to conduct a survey to help identify the prevalence of medicines shortages, their impact on pharmacy practice, patient care and to evaluate awareness of the new medicines shortages reforms.

CLICK HERE to participate in the survey.