Community pharmacies have accelerated the national effort to protect against COVID-19.
Pharmacy Guild National president, Professor Trent Twomey, has revealed community pharmacies across Australia have now delivered more than five million COVID-19 vaccinations.
“This is an extraordinary achievement, over a relatively short period of time.
“The acceleration is sharp. Pharmacies delivered three million vaccinations by Christmas Eve, four million by 18 January and now more than five million.
“The many thousands of pharmacies delivering these vaccinations are to be congratulated on their contribution to the fight against COVID,” he said.
Professor Twomey said when pharmacies were brought into the national effort in late July, Australia was facing significant economic and social disruption from COVID.
“Today, as we see many aspects of our life resuming closer to normal, we have our pharmacists and pharmacy assistants to thank.
“They have worked tirelessly including through the Christmas-New Year period to deliver vaccinations, over and above their other daily responsibilities.
“Our trusted, highly professional community pharmacies are leading in our national effort to get back to normal – or at least to a ‘new normal,” Professor Twomey said.
The five million vaccinations have been achieved through bookings with pharmacies by phone or in person, ‘walk’-ins’, corporate vaccination programs overseen by the Pharmacy Guild or through Find a Pharmacy which remains in heavy demand, including for boosters.
