Pharmacists administer 1M flu vaccines!

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) strengthens calls on governments to expand the activation of pharmacists in vaccinating against COVID-19, following their clear success in administering influenza vaccines.

 

As of Sunday, 18 July, pharmacists have administered over one million influenza vaccines to Australians, according to data from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, commends pharmacists who continue to play a crucial role in protecting our community, helping Australians consistently achieve high influenza vaccination rates.

 

“Year-on-year local pharmacists are continuing to make a significant contribution to immunisation against seasonal influenza, protecting their communities against this potentially deadly disease.

 

“Recent data from the AIR shows that pharmacist-administered flu vaccinations have now surpassed the one million mark since the start of this season. I know how grateful the public is to conveniently receive their vaccination from their local pharmacist.

 

“It’s not too late to get your flu vaccination from your local pharmacist, particularly as we come into our second traditional peak for the season.”

 

A/Prof Freeman went on to renew calls for nationwide pharmacist involvement in the COVID-19 vaccination strategy.

 

“This data from the AIR is indicative of the impact that local pharmacists can have on achieving national immunity and provides concrete justification that community pharmacist involvement will expedite completion of the vaccine rollout.

 

“According to a report released by the McKell Institute on Monday, activation of 4,000 community pharmacies would allow Australia to reach its vaccination targets roughly two months faster than at the current rate.

 

“In NSW, Premier Berejiklian has confirmed that the vast majority of community pharmacists will be activated over the coming weeks to combat the escalating COVID-19 outbreak across the state.

 

“All jurisdictions must take action and allow all COVID-19 vaccines to be available through the entire vaccinating pharmacist network.

 

“All Australians should have the option to go to their local pharmacist for their recommended vaccine because it is so easy and convenient to do so.” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Selected NSW pharmacies have started vaccinating against COVID-19!

Today, selected pharmacies across rural and remote NSW have commenced vaccinating their communities against COVID-19. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) commends these local pharmacies taking part in the regional NSW rollout, and applauds the Berejiklian Government for committing to maximising pharmacist involvement.

 

PSA has been working closely with the state government to secure pharmacist involvement in the strategy since the vaccine rollout commenced, and this follows Premier Berejiklian’s announcement last week that a further 1,250 pharmacies will soon be activated across NSW.

 

PSA NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, and PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, thanked the NSW Government for taking action to increase access to vaccinations.

 

“Today marks an important day in the state’s response to COVID-19, particularly whilst many NSW residents remain under stay at home orders.” Ms Felkai said.

 

“We have almost 5,000 skilled, trusted and experienced pharmacist vaccinators across NSW, and when fully activated, they will make a substantial difference to the population’s uptake of the vaccine. Today’s on-boarding of these regional pharmacies is a great first step.

 

“Premier Berejiklian has made it clear that we cannot live with the delta variant unless a certain proportion of the population are vaccinated, so we need to make it as easy and convenient as possible for Australians to get vaccinated – and activating all 1,250 approved pharmacies enables this.

 

“According to a report released by the McKell Institute today, activation of 4,000 community pharmacies would allow Australia to reach its vaccination targets roughly two months faster than at the current rate.

 

“We are also pleased to see that pharmacists can now vaccinate in NSW regardless of practice setting. This means that pharmacists will be able to play a greater role in administering vaccinations in GP clinics, aged care facilities, and vaccination hubs.” Ms Felkai said.

 

A/Prof Chris Freeman added “Australia needs a unified, patient-centric approach that puts the community first. It is great to see NSW utilising its full vaccinator workforce. Pharmacists are the most obvious solution to increasing accessibility of vaccinations. We hope that more jurisdictions will follow NSW’s lead.”

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists in the remaining jurisdictions are on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Local pharmacists kick off in regional Victoria

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is pleased that 8 rural and remote community pharmacies in Victoria have been activated in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, but calls for state-wide involvement.

 

Today, local pharmacists in towns including Beechworth, Mansfield and Yackandandah commenced vaccinating their communities against COVID-19.

 

PSA is working closely with the Victorian Government to secure maximal pharmacist involvement in the vaccination strategy, and is pleased to see that first step has been taken.

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, and PSA Victoria Branch President, John Jackson, acknowledged that more work is still required.

 

“Community pharmacists have been vaccinating against influenza since 2014, and PSA is glad to see that the same process is now being applied to combatting coronavirus,” Mr Jackson said.

 

“This is a start – but on-boarding less than a dozen local pharmacies in regional areas simply isn’t enough.

 

“The state is currently in the midst of yet another outbreak, therefore, utilising community pharmacists at this juncture is imperative to protecting Victorians. Activate the full pharmacist workforce now!” Mr Jackson said.

 

“After an incredibly challenging year and a half for Victorians, local pharmacist involvement in the rollout is welcomed news for the state that has been hit hardest by COVID-19, but 8 local pharmacies isn’t enough,” A/Prof Chris Freeman added.

 

“We need Victoria to follow New South Wales’ lead on this, by making all COVID 19 vaccines available through local pharmacies. All Australians should have the option to go to their local pharmacist for their vaccine because it is so easy and simple to do.”

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists around the country remain ready and on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Local pharmacists rolling out in regional SA

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) welcomes the involvement of local pharmacies in South Australia’s vaccination strategy, but calls for full utilisation of the pharmacist workforce.

 

Today, local pharmacists have begun vaccinating their communities against COVID-19 using the AstraZeneca vaccine at selected pharmacies in regional SA.

 

PSA has been working closely with the South Australian Government to secure pharmacist involvement in the strategy since the vaccines were made available in the country.

 

PSA SA Branch President, Robyn Johns, was amongst the first handful of community pharmacists vaccinating patients in Littlehampton today.

 

“It was wonderful to be on the frontline today, immunising the Littlehampton community against COVID-19 – but disappointingly, pharmacist involvement in the rollout is still incredibly limited.

 

“Data shows that 43% of Australians over the age of 50 years still haven’t had their first dose yet and local pharmacists can bridge this immunisation gap.

 

“As evidenced here in the pharmacy today, local pharmacists can target at-risk Australians, particularly the elderly who may be hesitant to commute to or queue at these hubs for extended periods of time.

 

“Littlehampton is about 30 to 40 minutes away from Adelaide’s CBD, and given the close proximity to the state’s capital city, why can’t metropolitan pharmacists play their part?

 

“We already have a skilled, trusted, experienced, and easily accessible vaccinator workforce at governments’ disposal – so we must activate them now!” Ms Johns said.

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists are on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

 

Breakthrough in NSW with pharmacists to help vaccinate!

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) applauds the Berejiklian Government’s announcement that approved community pharmacists in NSW will be activated in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

 

This morning, Premier Berejiklian announced that local pharmacies across the state will be permitted to vaccinate their local communities against COVID-19.

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, and NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, welcomed the news.

 

“This is very good news and is something PSA has been calling on the NSW Government, and all governments to do for quite some time,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

“Pharmacists are the most obvious solution to increasing accessibility to vaccinations. Pharmacists are trained, experienced, easily accessible, and close to home for many people. Pharmacists across NSW are ready to go, therefore, they will be up and running very quickly.

 

“Now we need the rest of the states and territories to follow New South Wales’ lead on this, and once onshore, all COVID 19 vaccines need to be made available through the community pharmacy. All Australians should have the option to go to their local pharmacist for their specifically recommended vaccine because it is so easy and simple to do,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

“We have almost 5,000 skilled, trusted and experienced pharmacist vaccinators across NSW. They are very keen to start vaccinating, to support their communities,” Ms Felkai added.

 

“At a time when we are also encouraging NSW residents to stay local, local pharmacists are the obvious choice.

 

“Local pharmacists can also target at-risk Australians, particularly the elderly who may be hesitant to commute to or queue at hubs for extended periods of time. Local pharmacists can reduce the rate of “no shows” by making it easier and more convenient to get vaccinated, and can reduce wastage by managing their appointments,” Ms Felkai concluded.

 

The Federal Government’s indemnity scheme already covers pharmacists administering COVID-19 and PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists are on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

From Broome to Boyup Brook, local pharmacists in rural WA vaccinating from today

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is pleased that some Western Australian community pharmacists have commenced vaccinating against COVID-19, but calls for full activation of the pharmacy workforce.

 

From today, 49 Western Australian community pharmacies in locations such as Broome, Denmark and Esperance, will commence immunising their local communities against COVID-19.

 

PSA has been working closely with the Western Australian Government to secure pharmacist involvement in the rollout and is delighted to see that this has finally come to fruition in regional WA.

 

PSA WA President, Dr Fei Sim, said that this outcome has been long-awaited but is concerned that pharmacist involvement is still limited.

 

“This is fantastic for rural residents in towns including Donnybrook, Narogin and Wickham, but with 50 percent of people aged over 50 years still to get their first dose, it is time to activate all approved community pharmacies in WA now.

 

“While this is a great start, a further 463 pharmacies have been approved by the government, but are yet to start vaccinating.

 

“As Australia’s most accessible healthcare workforce, bringing all community pharmacists on-board will accelerate the rollout, especially in Australia’s largest and most population-dispersed state.

 

“While Western Australia’s COVID-19 experience is the envy of the world, vaccination is the only path out of the pandemic.

 

“We must do everything we can to get as many Western Australians vaccinated against this terrible disease as soon as possible. This means activating all of our full vaccinator workforce – including pharmacists – as soon as possible,” Dr Sim said.

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists in the remaining jurisdictions are on standby to support the strategy.

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

NSW Cannot Open Until Pharmacists Can Vaccinate

NSW cannot open until pharmacists can vaccinate, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).

 

Today, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said that NSW cannot live with the Delta variant
unless a certain proportion of the population are vaccinated, however, she continues to sideline the almost 5,000 pharmacist vaccinator workforce in NSW.

 

PSA NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, says there is no explanation from the NSW
Government as to why pharmacist involvement in the rollout is still incredibly limited.

 

“Last week, Premier Berejiklian announced that only 22 community pharmacies across the state will commence vaccinating patients with the AstraZeneca vaccine from mid-July.

 

“We have almost 5,000 skilled, trusted and experienced pharmacist vaccinators across NSW,
and the Government has refused to tell us why they are not being utilised.

 

“The announcement last week of a positive case at one of the vaccination hubs reaffirms the
importance of accessing these vaccines within your local community, whether that be through
your local GP or pharmacist.

 

“At a time when we are also encouraging NSW residents to stay local, local pharmacists are the obvious choice.

 

“Now, Premier Berejiklian says we cannot live with the delta variant unless a certain proportion of the population are vaccinated. We know there is no shortage of AstraZeneca. We need to make it as easy and convenient as possible for Australians to get vaccinated.

 

“Pharmacist vaccinators could also be much more widely utilised in vaccination hubs, aged care, and other settings. Our nursing colleagues have been doing a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of workforce surge, and we don’t want to see them burn out. We need to utilise our full vaccinator workforce, including local pharmacists.”

 

The Federal Government’s indemnity scheme already covers pharmacists administering COVID19 and PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists are on standby to support the strategy.

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Pharmacists are the solution to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout!

Pharmacists are the most obvious solution to getting Australians vaccinated as quickly and conveniently as possible, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, is dismayed that pharmacist involvement in the rollout is still incredibly limited.

 

“Pharmacists are the most obvious solution to increasing accessibility to vaccinations. We already have a skilled, trusted, experienced, and easily accessible vaccinator workforce at governments’ disposal. And we already have established vaccination clinics in our shopping centres – the community pharmacy!

 

“Local pharmacists should be activated to alleviate pressure on vaccination hubs and to make it as easy and convenient as possible for Australians to get vaccinated. We need to utilise Australia’s full vaccinator workforce, including local pharmacists.

 

“Of Australia’s 5,800 pharmacies, only 65 pharmacies have actually been activated so far, with a further 300 to be activated by the end of July. This represents only 5% of pharmacies.

 

“In addition, the Federal Government’s indemnity scheme already covers pharmacists – they have been fully trained for months and are sick of being sidelined,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

A/Prof Freeman went on to say that involving local pharmacists will encourage at-risk Australians to come forward and get vaccinated.

 

“Local pharmacists can target at-risk Australians, particularly the elderly who may be hesitant to commute to or queue at these hubs for extended periods of time. Local pharmacists can also reduce the rate of “no shows” by making it easier and more convenient to get vaccinated, and can reduce wastage by managing their appointments.

 

“Pharmacists are already vaccinating against COVID-19 in GP clinics, hubs, and remote and rural pharmacies, and have been administering influenza and other vaccines for many years.”

 

The Federal Government’s indemnity scheme already covers pharmacists administering COVID-19 and PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists are on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

It’s a start, but simply not enough

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) welcomes confirmation that community pharmacists in regional NSW will soon be able to participate in the vaccination strategy, but it is simply not enough.

 

Premier Berejiklian announced yesterday that only 22 community pharmacies across the state will commence vaccinating patients with the AstraZeneca vaccine from mid-July.

 

PSA has been working closely with the state government to secure pharmacist involvement in the strategy since the vaccines were made available in the country.

 

PSA NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, said this is a start but not nearly enough.

 

“In the wake of Sydney’s most recent lockdowns, some NSW pharmacists will finally be able to help protect their communities by vaccinating against this deadly disease.

 

“Whilst this is a welcomed outcome for those in some regional NSW communities, it still misses the mark, especially during a time where Sydney is subjected to the longest lockdown we have seen in a year. Pharmacists should also be administering all available vaccines in order to reach a greater proportion of the population.

 

“We have been given every excuse for not being included in the rollout to date; from difficulties in administration to cold chain and supply issues – this can no longer be tolerated. This is not about funding, politics or protecting turf. This is a pandemic.

 

“We desperately need a patient-centric approach that puts the community first, but it is apparent that the NSW Government’s approach to the rollout does not support this.

 

“The reality is that Australia will not reach the 40 million administrations needed to fully vaccinate Australia’s adult population until late September 2022, therefore, access can no longer be restricted solely through GPs, respiratory clinics and vaccination hubs.

 

“We have expressed our concerns around the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the mass vaccination hubs, particularly during an outbreak. The announcement today of a positive case at one of the vaccination hubs reaffirms the importance of accessing these vaccines within your local community – whether that be through your local GP or pharmacist.

 

“Australia has been in a relatively good position, but as these outbreaks have shown, this position is incredibly precarious. The government cannot afford to squander the gift we have been given of being COVID-free these past months. We cannot afford to continue stalling the rollout – it will ultimately be at the expense of lives.

 

“The Government’s indemnity scheme now covers pharmacists administering COVID-19 vaccinations, so there are no more excuses – activate the full pharmacist workforce now!” Ms Felkai said.

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists are on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

This is not a turf war – this is a pandemic. It is time to unite our full vaccinator workforce.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is calling on all governments to urgently activate pharmacists across the nation to administer COVID-19 vaccines, in the wake of Australia’s most recent lockdowns.

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman stressed the importance of involving the country’s most accessible healthcare workforce.

 

“Pharmacists are our most accessible healthcare workforce, and many pharmacists are already trained immunisers.

 

“Pharmacists are already administering COVID-19 vaccines in some community pharmacies in remote and rural areas, in vaccination hubs and in GP clinics around the country. But we have thousands of other community pharmacists who are ready and raring to go to help protect their communities.

 

“Ensuring as many Australians as possible can access vaccinations is critical if we are to keep ahead of this deadly disease. Allowing community pharmacists to vaccinate across Australia will massively increase ease and accessibility.

 

“Many regional and remote communities do not have access to health services via hospitals or local GP clinics. Given this, community pharmacists are ideally placed to support the rollout, with 97% of the population in capital cities living within 2.5km of their local community pharmacy, and 65% in regional areas.

 

“However, even in capital cities, we know that many are struggling to get appointments at vaccination hubs, with some queuing for hours. At a time when Australians are being encouraged to restrict their movements and avoid crowds, these long queues are very concerning.

 

“With pharmacists now also covered by the Government’s indemnity scheme, the solution is right under the Government’s nose. This is not about funding, politics, or protecting turf. This is a pandemic, and PSA’s interests lie in enabling pharmacists to support their patients and public health during this time.

 

“Governments need a patient-centric approach to put the community first.

 

“Pharmacists need to be activated now, so that as more supply becomes available, they are already on board and can be fully utilised to vaccinate in pharmacies alongside vaccinations occurring as part of the General Practice network and vaccination hubs,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463