The first COVID-19 vaccination delivered through a community pharmacy in Australia has been administered at Boonah Pharmacy in Queensland.
Last month, the Minister for Health Greg Hunt announced that a number of rural and remote pharmacies in Queensland would be the first to get the green light to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to members of the community.
These pharmacies are among the 4000 across Australia to have been given approval to deliver the vaccines after meeting all training and other requirements.
National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Trent Twomey said the start of the vaccination rollout in pharmacies was an important step in the effort to maximise immunisation rates across all of Australia.
"This is a watershed moment in helping to maximise the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations in Australia," he said.
"Pharmacists are the most accessible of all healthcare professionals and among the most trusted.
"In addition, community pharmacies offer the community the facility for patients to organise to have their vaccinations at times when other vaccination hubs may not be operating.
"Many community pharmacies are open after normal business hours during the week and also during the weekend. Clearly this makes it far more convenient for patients to be able to get their vaccinations."
The Executive Director of the Guild, Suzanne Greenwood, was the first person to have the COVID-19 vaccination in the pharmacy at Boonah this morning.
"Knowing the training pharmacists have undergone, and the stringent approval process they have been subject too, gave me extreme confidence in having my vaccination delivered at a community pharmacy," she said.
"I am also extremely pleased to have had my vaccination at Boonah Pharmacy because this is where my grandfather was born and we have long and cherished family connections with this area."
Trent Twomey thanked the Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and the Government for the confidence shown in the ability of community pharmacies to help boost immunisation rates across the country. He also thanked Wright MP, Scott Buchholz, and Federal Regional Health Minister, Mark Coulton, for their support in ensuring that community pharmacies were now being given a pivotal role in protecting Australians against the virus.
"With the community pharmacy network extending into areas where at times the pharmacist is the only healthcare professional available it is clear that this is a major step forward in achieving maximum uptake of vaccinations," he said.
