Jabs extending to pharmacies

•   Pharmacist Bonnie Kelly preparing to vaccinate.

By Tony Scott,
August 11, 2021

The Scottsdale Galloway’s pharmacy is due to start offering Covid immunisations possibly from next Monday.

The Guardian outlet is one of 31 across Tasmania approved to provide the vaccinations for the AstraZeneca strain only in the first instance.

The pharmacist in charge, Bonnie Kelly, said it appeared the shorter supply of Pfizer vaccine meant it would not be available through the pharmacy in the short term.

However, there were indications that the Moderna strain of vaccine could be made available once it was brought into Australia in September.

Ms Kelly said people wanting to be immunised through the pharmacy service would need to make an appointment.

“We need to take bookings so we’re able to prepare things to administer the vaccine.”

Approval of the extension of vaccinations to more pharmacies follows lobbying by the Pharmacy Guild and State president Helen O’Byrne, who said 100 had responded to a Commonwealth invitation to register interest.

“We want all pharmacies that applied to have available all strains of vaccine as quickly as possible.

“That way we can make in-roads into the number of people wanting to take up the vaccine but are unable to access it.”

Health Department secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said the approved pharmacies along with general practice surgeries would offer AstraZeneca to Tasmanians aged over 60 years.

This would help fill the gap left by state clinics, which have moved to Pfizer vaccinations.

"We are working with the Commonwealth to bring on more community pharmacies and will look at expansion of the age range and vaccine types as the rollout progresses," Ms Morgan-Wicks said.

Ms Morgan-Wicks said 350,000 doses of Covid vaccines had been delivered to date with 50,000 of these delivered over the past two weeks.

She said more than 84 per cent of Tasmanians aged over 70 years had received their first dose and 53 per cent were fully vaccinated.

For Tasmanians aged over 50 years, 72 per cent had received their first dose and more than 36 per cent were fully vaccinated.