Local pharmacies to administer COVID-19 vaccinations

HEALTH

Howard Salkow

Senior Journalist

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Pharmacists Holly Toshach and Brad Reilly from LiveLife Pharmacy where you can now receive a COVID-19 Vaccination. Image: Karlie Brady.

Douglas Shire residents will from today be able to receive Covid-19 vaccinations after it was announced 56 pharmacies in Australia had been selected to run the first phase of the vaccinations through community pharmacy.

Five pharmacies in the Douglas Shire have been chosen. The three LiveLife pharmacies in Port Douglas and two in Mossman will participate in the program, now that the vaccines have arrived.

“Cairns hasn't had any pharmacies selected as it looks like they really want to target regional areas with limited access first,” said Brad Reilly, Proprietor LiveLife Pharmacy, adding the supply designated is substantial enough to meet the current demand.

Reilly said Port Douglas was given 900 vaccines initially and Mossman 600.

“Between the five Livelife pharmacies in the region, we’ll be able to access 600 doses each week, if demand was to permit.

“There will be clinics at each of the pharmacies and appointments can be made by booking both online, in-store and over the phone.

“There will be some capacity to fit in walk-ins; however it can be a challenge due to the fact that they come as multi-dose vials with 10 doses per vial. Once open, all 10 doses must be given within 48 hours, so to minimize wastage we will be trying to schedule patients in where possible,” said Reilly.

Reilly said the pharmacies will be booking patients into 15 minutes intervals. We'll need to see how the workflow goes to evaluate how many patients could reasonably be vaccinated across the Douglas region.

“We're expecting demand to be very high. But we are lucky in this region to have qualified with five pharmacies in the area. It means our supply should well and truly match the demand,” he said.

In terms of how many vaccines can be given, Reilly said they would need to see how the workflow goes to evaluate how many patients could reasonably been vaccinated across the Douglas region.

Pharmacists will administer the vaccine and there are nearly a dozen pharmacists in our region who are currently trained and administering vaccines of other types. They have now all completed the specific Covid-19 vaccination training.

Regional Health Minister Mark Coulton said Queensland community pharmacies would be the first in the nation to take part in the rollout.

“More than eight million people live outside Australia’s major capital cities, and while the regions have largely been spared from outbreaks during the pandemic, getting vaccinated is vital to our ongoing recovery and way forward,” Coulton told reporters.

Pharmacies that will administer COVID vaccine in FNQ:

  • Babinda Pharmacy
  • Bamaga Pharmacy
  • Cardwell Pharmacy
  • Karumba Pharmacy
  • LiveLife Anich’s Mossman Pharmacy
  • LiveLife Pharmacy Mission Beach
  • LiveLife Pharmacy Mossman
  • Livelife Pharmacy Port Douglas (2)
  • LiveLife Pharmacy The Habitat, Port Douglas
  • Livelife Pharmacy Tully
  • LiveLife Pharmacy Weipa
  • Thursday Island Pharmacy

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