Nova Scotia pharmacy-based immunizers can now deliver flu, COVID-19 vaccines to younger patients

Pharmacists and other pharmacy staff qualified to deliver immunizations are now able to administer influenza vaccines to children aged six months old and older in Nova Scotia. Previously, pharmacy-based immunizers were able to deliver influenza vaccines to children aged two years old and older. The expanded scope of practice will also apply to any COVID-19 vaccines, once approved by Health Canada for use in that age group. “We think this is an important step to provide some of the most vulnerable in our population with the vaccine,” said Beverley Zwicker, CEO and registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists. The College announced the change in late April in anticipation of Health Canada's approval of a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine. “The process for Health Canada to approve vaccines for the younger age group has been longer than anyone had anticipated,” Zwicker said. Pharmacy practitioners with a valid injection permit need proof of extra competencies before they administer vaccines to these younger patients. This is partly because some young patients may need a flu or COVID-19 vaccine given via intramuscular injection at a site other than the usual deltoid muscle site. “We did recognize that administering injections to this younger cohort would require additional training,” Zwicker said. Dalhousie University offers a training program for pediatric injections. It involves an online component and a two-hour in-person workshop. Learning objectives include an appropriate pain and management strategy, effective distraction techniques and managing anaphylaxis in young children, Zwicker said. The training program also teaches immunizers how to manage parent or caregiver anxiety. Pharmacy staff able to provide injections already have a number of calming and distraction techniques in their toolbox from delivering vaccines to patients aged two years old to five years old, Zwicker noted. Many of these techniques will also work on patients six months old and older. The younger age limit on flu vaccine administration means that many families will be able to get their flu vaccine, and eventually COVID-19 vaccines, in the same place. “In Nova Scotia, at a time when almost 10% of the population doesn’t have access to either a nurse practitioner or a primary care physician, being able to have the entire family immunized at the pharmacy when they go for their vaccine is very important,” Zwicker said. Nova Scotian pharmacy-based immunizers can only give injections to patients two years and older for all other vaccines. Read: How well does previous infection with COVID-19, MIS-C protect against Omicron?

Nova Scotia pharmacy-based immunizers can now deliver flu, COVID-19 vaccines to younger patients

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