This information was last updated 4 April 2024
The following COVID-19 vaccines are no longer available:
Not all community pharmacies are administering all vaccines. Most pharmacies are limiting services to specific clinic times or dates.
The EOI and payment process is managed by the Pharmacy Programs Administrator (PPA) on behalf of the Department of Health (Australian Government).
Until 30 September 2023, pharmacist vaccinators had to undergo specific training for administering COVID-19 vaccines, which was the same for all health care workers administering COVID-19 vaccines. This is no longer required.
Pharmacists seeking to become vaccinators can undertake pharmacist vaccinator training offered by PSA which is recognised by state and territory governments.
Pharmacists who wish to do additional training to familiarise themselves with multi-dose vials can request to undertake vaccine refresher training at PSA Vaccine Face-to-Face immunisation workshops
Information about COVID-19 vaccines has been translated into over 60 languages. Help your patients access information in their language.
Links for specialist information services for every state/territory. These services provide specialised immunisation advice and care to clinicians and families. These services have specialised nursing and medical staff to provide clinical advice on immunisation for patients with complex or unusual medical backgrounds or who have had an adverse event following immunisation.
Face masks remain recommended in health settings by health departments in some jurisdictions. Recommendations may vary depending on practice setting. Some workplaces, such as hospitals and aged care, are subject to additional PPE obligations or may introduce additional PPE requirements as controls to mitigate risk.
Pharmacists and pharmacy staff should wear face masks which are at least medical grade masks, such as type 1 surgical masks. Correctly fitted P2/N95 masks offer additional protection for the person wearing the masks and their contacts.
Cloth masks and reusable masks should not be used. Face shields are considered eye protection. They not an equivalent substitute for surgical masks.
Pharmacists and pharmacy staff should wear surgical masks rather than reusable cloth masks consistent with all health providers
Pharmacists and pharmacy staff should wear a medical grade face mask at work (Level 1 or above) due to risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace and care role in supporting vulnerable people. Correctly fitted P2/N95 masks offer greater protection than surgical masks.
Adhere to advice provided by your health department, state government directions notices and/or employer as applicable.
When conducting in-person interviews, face masks should be worn where recommended or requested by a patient and/or carer. Where possible, well-ventilated or outdoor locations should be chosen for the interview to reduce transmission risk.
Pharmacists and pharmacy staff should wear surgical masks rather than reusable cloth masks consistent with relevant health department guidance for all health care workers. N95/P2 masks, where available, offer greater protection to the person wearing the mask and to people the person wearing the mask comes into contact with.
Eye protection is an enhanced precaution which has been recommended in various locations during COVID-19 to protect health care workers against risk of transmission. It is generally recommended in routine care of people who may have respiratory infections.
Where eye protection is recommended for health workers, it is of greatest protective value where there is a risk of droplet transmission. PSA considers this to apply to the following:
Pharmacists may also wish to wear eye protection in other situations where there is a risk of contact with body fluids is a risk. When recommended, PSA suggests pharmacists should minimise exposure risk by erring on the side of caution; citing that if staff are directly interacting with the public eye protection is required.
Higher levels of precaution are needed where there is contact with a person who is known or suspected to have COVID-19. This may include protective gowns and/or P2/N95 masks (which may include fit testing). Pharmacists working in higher risk environments must be familiar with local directives and PPE guidance.
PSA is aware of member concerns that patients sometimes pressure pharmacists to dispense unsafe amounts of medicines. Together with the government, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the National Pharmaceutical Services Association, the decision was made in March 2020 to limit the dispensing and sale of certain medicines.
Mitigation measures introduced in 2020, included purchasing limits, should continue to be applied permanently, consistent with product availability and professional practice guidance.
Disruptions to global supply challenges and fluctuating demand continue to affect stability of medicines availability. The TGA continues to monitor these requirements in consultation with stakeholders and medicine sponsors.
From 1 October 2023, the SUSMP listing of salbutamol removed some restrictions introduced in 2020. Professional expectations regarding appropriate supply of salbutamol as a Pharmacist Only Medicine are contained in the Australian Pharmaceutical Handbook and Formulary (APF), including regarding labelling.
From 1 July 2020, the TGA medicine shortages taskforce advised that pharmacies could return children’s paracetamol liquid formulations to front-of-counter, as demand for these products has eased. (Note: The requirement in WA and Queensland to store Pharmacy Medicines in a place that prevents physical/direct access by the public (‘behind the counter’) remains unchanged.)
Current TGA medicine shortages statement can be found on the TGA website
PBS Continued Dispensing emergency arrangements for COVID-19 ended on 30 June 2022.
New permanent PBS Continued Dispensing arrangements commenced on 1 July 2022.
On 31 March 2020, the Federal Health Minister announced a temporary expansion of the PBS Continued Dispensing initiative to support continuity of essential medicine therapy for Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The extension has been extended multiple times and will end on 30 June 2022.
From 1 July 2022, the formulary of medicines permanently able to be supplied under the PBS through Continued Dispensing reflects a list endorsed by PBAC in November 2021. This list incudes a range of medicines used in the management of stable, chronic health conditions, such as medicines used to treat diabetes, hypertension, asthma and HIV.
Other eligibility changes to PBS Continued Dispensing also changed at this time:
Continued dispensing allows consumers to access standard PBS pack sizes of essential medicines in an emergency where there is an immediate therapeutic need and accessing a prescription is not practical. Under PBS Continued Dispensing, there is no requirement for a person to obtain a prescription to cover the supply or PBS subsidy of medicines supplied under this provision.
Most jurisdictions only permit Continued Dispensing in accordance with the National Health (Continued Dispensing) Determination 2022 or similar temporary emergency determinations.
For the latest advice on continued dispensing regulations in each state/territory, and description of any temporary emergency determinations, review the PSA Regulation Hub.
The PBS special arrangement for digital image prescribing ended on 31 March 2022 (except within hospitals).
Transition arrangements were in place for prescriptions which were written before 31 March 2022, including repeats.
In NSW, digital image prescriptions continued to be permissible for non-PBS prescriptions until 30 September 2022.
From 1 October 2023, changes made to the Schedule 3 entry of salbutamol during the COVID-19 pandemic were rolled back.
The S3 entry in the Poisons Standard (at Feb 2024) is:
SALBUTAMOL as the only therapeutically active substance:
(a) in metered aerosols delivering 100 micrograms or less of salbutamol per metered dose; or
(b) in dry powders for inhalation delivering 200 micrograms or less of salbutamol per dose.
Further information:
On 27 May 2020, the TGA updated their advice based on the latest international data. At this time the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 was strongly discouraged, including in hospital in patients. The use of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 remains actively discouraged.
Effective 24 March 2020, restrictions were placed on the prescribing of hydroxychloroquine. These amendments were incorporated into the Poisons Standard.
Initial treatment of a patient with hydroxychloroquine is now restricted to specialists in any of the following specialties:
PSA and the Guild advocated for this change in an open letter to prescribers on 21 March 2020.
Changes were also been made to the PBS listing for hydroxychloroquine to help minimise the risk of PBS prescriptions being supplied to patients accessing the medicine for unapproved uses. The streamlined authority requirement has now been removed.
Current Australian advice includes the following:
On 11 September 2021, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling, the TGA placed restrictions on the prescribing of oral ivermectin (tablet dosage form) by general practitioners through a new listing in Appendix D of the Poisons Standard. This restriction were removed on 1 June 2023.
Ivermectin is not approved for use in prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in Australia.
Stromectol (ivermectin 3mg tablets) is TGA-approved for the treatment of onchocerciasis (river blindness), intestinal strongyloidiasis (threadworm of the intestines) and scabies. All medical practitioners can continue to prescribe oral ivermectin for the approved indications. However, prescribing for non-approved indications (e.g. rare parasitic conditions) have not been limited to specialists from 1 June 2023.
As with all dispensing activities, pharmacists presented with prescriptions for ivermectin need to be satisfied a medicine is safe and therapeutically appropriate prior to supply of the medicine (Professional Practice Standards, 2023).
Further information regarding the scheduling change is available at:
The approved indications in Australia for ivermectin are for the treatment of roundworm infections, scabies and inflammatory rosacea.
Current Australian advice includes the following:
Some doctors may decide to prescribe ivermectin for off-label use taking into account potential risks and benefits and with appropriate informed consent. However, given the lack of evidence to support use of ivermectin for COVID-19, it would be difficult for a pharmacist to professionally justify off-label supply of ivermectin for COVID-19 outside of a well-designed clinical trial.
Therefore, PSA recommends that pharmacists do not supply ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19. Should pharmacists be unable to establish intended use of an ivermectin prescription, supply should also be declined.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists were temporarily able to deliver medication reviews to eligible patients via telehealth arrangements from 21 April 2020. This included Home Medicines Reviews, Residential Medication Management Reviews, MedsChecks and Diabetes MedsChecks.
These telehealth arrangements ceased on 31 December 2022.
The Australian Government implemented a temporary measure from 1 May 2020 to 30 June 2022 to allow flexibility around PBS restrictions for some medicines to support continued treatment. Prescribers were able to lodge a request for exemption with Services Australia (Medicare) where they believed a requirement (such as pathology or point-of-care testing) may have put patients at increased risks of COVID-19.
The Home Medicines Service ended on 30 June 2022
On Wednesday 11 March 2020, the Australian Government announced the COVID-19 Home Medicines Service enabling vulnerable people and people in self-isolation to order their PBS and RPBS prescriptions remotely and have their medicines home delivered to reduce their potential exposure to COVID-19.
The Australian Government provided funding to support and protect the most vulnerable members of our community from potential exposure to COVID-19 by way of a fee per delivery payable to pharmacies for the home delivery of PBS and RPBS medicines, thereby removing the need for a patient to visit a pharmacy.
As of September 2020, more than 1.1 million deliveries had been made by more than 4,600 pharmacies through this service.
In response to the increased demand for hand sanitisers and subsequent shortages in 2020, PSA made representations to the TGA to ensure pharmacists were able to provide hand sanitisers to Australian consumers and patients. As a result, certain hand sanitisers with specific requirements were excluded from the operation of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (the ‘Act’).
The TGA prepared further advice for pharmacists on hand sanitiser manufacture, supply and advertising, and advice for consumers on buying and using hand sanitisers. This information can be accessed below:
These exemptions no longer exist. There are adequate supplies of hand sanitiser commercially available, so these products should not be compounded.
Details of the expired temporary regulatory changes are summarised through the Q&As below.
In late March, the following two Commonwealth legislative instruments came into force – Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods – Hand Sanitisers) Determination 2020 and Therapeutic Goods Amendment (Excluded Goods – Hand Sanitisers) Determination 2020.
In May 2020, the Therapeutic Goods Amendment (Excluded Goods – Hand Sanitisers) Determination (No. 2) 2020 came into force. These amendments are intended to further safeguard public health.
These determinations are no longer in force.
Hand sanitisers are regulated either as cosmetics (general consumer products) or therapeutic goods depending on what they contain, what they claim to do and how they are used. Further information is available here.
From 1 April 2024, patients are no longer required to sign and date receipt of a pharmaceutical benefit. Additionally, pharmacists are no longer required to certify why it was not practical to obtain a patient acknowledgement of receipt.
Since March 2020, a temporary exemption has allowed for supply of PBS prescriptions without signed patient acknowledgement. This exemption (which had been extended multiple times) expired on 31 March 2024. It was replaced by the permanent revocation of the patient signature requirement (Regulation 57) in the National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) Regulations 2017 on 1 April 2024.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Services Australia applied a temporary waiver on the requirement for a patient to sign their Prescription Record Forms (PRFs) and PBS Safety Net applications where there were concerns of virus transmission to patients and/or pharmacy staff. The interim arrangement ended in early 2023.
Changes to the requirements for patients to sign PBS prescriptions do not affect the requirement for PBS Safety Net applications to be signed by patients.
A national taskforce has brought together peak professional bodies across Australia whose members are providing clinical care to people with COVID-19.
They undertook continuous evidence surveillance to identify and rapidly synthesise emerging research in order to provide national, evidence-based guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19, post-COVID syndrome (long COVID), as well as other emerging conditions, such as mpox.
These are ‘living’ guidelines, updated with new research in near real-time in order to give reliable, up-to-the minute advice to clinicians providing frontline care in this unprecedented global health crisis.
The Commonwealth Department of Health continue to publish and update a variety of information and resources for health professionals and patients on the evolving COVID-19 situation.
PSA will continue to provide updates as we receive information. To speak with one of our team, including the member-only Pharmacist-to-Pharmacist advice line, please call PSA on 1300 369 772 or send us an email.
In the spirit of reconciliation, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were our first pharmacists.
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