Pharmacy Daily | NSW pharmacies brace for COVAX

COMMUNITY pharmacies across NSW will join the COVID-19 vaccination (COVAX) program "sooner rather than later", Pharmacy Guild of Australia NSW Branch President, David Heffernan, reports.

In a statement released this morning Heffernan urged pharmacy owners to ensure they have booking systems in place and are ready to start as soon as the State Government gives approval.

"There is a real appetite at the Federal and State level to get pharmacies on board as pivotal elements of the vaccination rollout as soon as possible," he said.

"Nationally some 4,000 community pharmacies have been approved as COVID-19 vaccination hubs with the pharmacists already trained and the pharmacies equipped and ready for the COVID-19 vaccinations.

"Importantly, about 30% of these pharmacies are in NSW and they will make an enormous difference to vaccination uptake once they get the green light.

"The Guild has been working closely with the State Government to get to the stage where pharmacies are able to help protect communities from the virus."

"I urge pharmacies to check their systems as I anticipate the rollout to pharmacies is coming sooner rather than later, with pharmacies in areas of need to be the first to start administering COVID-19 vaccines."

Earlier this week, Guild National President, Trent Twomey told Pharmacy Daily that the decision to green-light the rollout of COVAX through pharmacies "sits firmly with the State Premiers", adding it "defies logic not to use pharmacies to boost uptake" (PD 26 May).

To date Queensland has been the only state to give community pharmacies the green light to administer COVAX.

The inital approval has been limited to 56 regional and rural pharmacies, which are expected to commence vaccination services in the coming weeks.

However, Queensland Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeannette Young, has indicated a desire for community pharmacies across the state to play an active role in the campaign.

"I want you to do mass vaccination, because your communities know you," she told delegates at the Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference last week (PD 24 May).