Phones at New Brunswick pharmacies have been ringing off the hook since the province expanded its COVID-19 booster eligibility last week.
As of Jan. 10, people over the age of 18 can book their appointment for a third jab.
Since then, more than 32,680 appointments have been booked with the regional health authorities for booster doses of an mRNA vaccine, according to the province. Additionally, 43,650 full doses have been ordered by pharmacies for their COVID-19 clinics.
“Usually when there’s a media conference and the premier or the minister or someone else is up and they’re saying ‘we’re gonna open up new eligibility,’ what we’ve seen throughout the pandemic is the calls start immediately,” said Jake Reid, the executive director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association.
“It would be nice if those [announcements] were metered out of course over time, but they’re not – they happen all at once. It can pull the health care professionals away from, if they’re doing vaccinations or doing prescriptions or other health services.”
Pharmacists are among the most accessible members of the health care system. However, being only a phone call away has made managing the significant volume of work a challenge, said Reid.
Staffing levels
While unveiling stark COVID-19 projections last Tuesday, Mathieu Chalifoux, New Brunswick’s chief epidemiologist, warned the rapid rise in cases will severely impact health care as well as many other professions.
Staff shortages have yet to severely impact pharmacies, though there are concerns over how they might affect capacity.
“We have some pharmacists and pharmacy staff and pharmacy technicians who are either testing positive themselves for COVID or they have to isolate because they have a close connection in their household that has tested positive,” Reid remarked.
Reid said they will monitor the situation closely over the coming weeks. He noted some rural communities are already feeling the pressure due to having fewer pharmacies and RHA clinics.
The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association urges anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, waiting for PCR test results, or isolating with the virus to not show up at a pharmacy.
