Pharmacies play crucial role as provinces hinge reopening plans on vaccination rates

New Brunswick and Alberta pharmacies got praise from their provincial governments as their immunization efforts meant the provinces could move forward with reopening plans. Provinces and territories have their reopening stages based on key metrics, including vaccination rates against COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in community pharmacies was affected by another announcement from the National Committee on Immunization (NACI). It changed their COVID-19 vaccine recommendations on June 17, saying that people who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine should only get the same for the second dose if getting a vaccine earlier is preferable to waiting for an mRNA vaccine. Most provinces changed their guidance to recommend mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for a second dose and the shift brought a flood of cancellations to pharmacies supplying AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. “People are angry and they should be. Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are exhausted. The constant changes and administrative burden continues to increase,” wrote Justin Bates, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, on Twitter. “The questions and appointment cancellations put pharmacists in a difficult position.” Each new announcement about AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine increases administrative work for pharmacies. “I am constantly having to change my planning and my staffing and my scheduling,” Kyro Maseh, owner of a Pharmasave in Toronto told CP24 News. Here’s what is happening across Canada this week: British Columbia British Columbians are able to get a second dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in participating pharmacies. All the pharmacies that administered first doses are providing second doses. Pharmacies are contacting people to schedule an appointment to receive a second dose. The second dose will be at least eight weeks after patients received their first dose. Participating pharmacies are listed on the British Columbia Pharmacy Association website. Patients can choose to have an mRNA vaccine as a second dose and these are given at a public health clinic. Pharmacists in B.C. gave 204,000 first doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and have been allocated 74,000 doses to give as second doses, according to the B.C. Pharmacist Association. The uptake for AstraZeneca as the second dose is about 70% of those patients who have been called by pharmacies, based on what pharmacies have shared with the association. Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, reassured residents that mixing vaccines is safe. “For those who first received an AstraZeneca vaccine, we have weighed all of the data and real-world evidence on vaccine effectiveness when mixing different types of vaccine. Our advice remains the same,” she said at a June 17 press conference. “You have a choice to get a second viral vector vaccine or have an mRNA vaccine instead. You can make the choice that is right for you because all of the vaccines in use in Canada are safe and highly effective. So are all of the second-dose options.” The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines continue to be given to residents at community immunization clinics based on age. Anyone 12 years old or older can register for a COVID-19 vaccine. People who received their first dose eight or more weeks ago are being invited to book an appointment for a second dose. Alberta On June 18, Alberta reached the goal of having 70% of eligible Albertans vaccinated with at least one dose, meaning that the province could move to phase three of its reopening plan on July 1. Stage three involves lifting all public health restrictions, except for isolating with COVID-19 symptoms. Masks will no longer be required indoors, except in specific settings. To encourage Albertans to reach the goal, the provincial government launches a lottery open to all residents older than 18 who received their first dose. The initial prize is $1 million. Subsequent draws will be made in August and September for those who receive their second dose. Despite reaching the 70% vaccination rate, there remain some regions where rates hover at 20% to 40%. For example, in the Peace River region, 42.7% of eligible people have received their first dose, compared more than 60% in Edmonton and Calgary. Vaccine hesitancy could be part of the reason behind low rates. “You've got some people that want it. They want to move ahead," Patrick Kinshella, a pharmacist and co-owner of Valley Drug Mart in Peace River, told CBC News. "You've got another group that are dead-set against the vaccine. And you've got another group that's kind of indifferent about the vaccine. Ahmed Aboelsaoud, pharmacist owner of Catalyst Pharmacy in St. Paul’s, said that the demand for COVID-19 vaccine has been high at his pharmacy, despite only 39.6% of the area’s eligible population receiving a first dose. "Since we started the vaccination in mid-April, we had a constant flow of people asking and booking appointments for getting their first or even second shot," Aboelsaoud told CBC News. “It was very surprising that we are one of the lowest at 20 to 40%" He said he hopes the lottery will encourage people who were complacent about getting vaccinated. All Albertans aged 12 and older can now book an appointment for a first or second dose a pharmacy or community immunization clinic. Pharmacies will contact their patients to remind them that they are eligible for a second dose, but Albertans can choose where they get their second dose. People who received AstraZeneca for their first dose must wait eight weeks before their second. The list of pharmacies participating in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is available on the Alberta Blue Cross website. SASKATCHEWAN A total of 368 pharmacies in 101 communities are now providing Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. Pharmacies have provided more than 155,000 doses. Dawn Martin, CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan, said that supply to the pharmacies has been limited but significant increases should be coming. The supply is based on what the province receives, what pharmacies reported they could handle, and what is needed in public health clinics, Martin said. In June, school-based immunization clinics are using a portion of the province’s COVID-19 vaccine supply. People book vaccination appointments directly with participating pharmacies. The provincial search tool now includes links to the pharmacy’s online booking tool and the type of vaccine that the pharmacy has in stock. Saskatchewan’s opening plan hinges on vaccination numbers, and the province is hoping to reach the goal of 70% of people over 12 years old having received at least one dose by June 20. As of June 18, the rate sits at 68%. Anyone 12 years old and older eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy or public health clinic. As of June 21, second doses are available at pharmacies or public health clinics to anyone who received their first vaccine on or before May 15. By June 24, the province will allow anyone to get a second dose based on the manufacturer’s recommended dose interval. Second doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines will be available at some clinics. People are also allowed to choose to have an mRNA vaccine as a second dose. MANITOBA Pharmacies in Manitoba are providing Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for both first and second doses. The participating pharmacies can be found on the province’s Vaccine Finder. The government of Manitoba is recommending that those who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for their first dose get an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for their second dose. Pharmacies will also give second doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to eligible people 40 years old or older if supply is available. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are currently being given at mass immunization clinics, urban Indigenous clinics and pop-up clinics to anyone 12 years old or older. Indigenous people in Manitoba and anyone who received a first dose on or before May 23 can now book appointments for their second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. To encourage immunization, anyone who gets a vaccine by August 2 will be entered into a lottery to win $100,000 per health region, or one of 10 $25,000 scholarship for Manitobans aged 12 to 17 years old. A second draw will take place for all those who get a second dose by September 6. ONTARIO Ontario is expanding the eligibility for second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The dates when people who had their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can book their second dose through pharmacies or the provincial booking system are as follows: On June 21: those who got a first dose on or before May 9 On June 23: those who got a first dose on or before May 30 and live in a Delta hot spot region On June 28: all Ontarians over 18 The Delta hot spot regions now include the Halton, Hamilton, Peel, Porcupine, Simcoe-Muskoka, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph and York public health units. Ontario patients who had their first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine eight to 12 weeks ago can contact their pharmacy for a second dose. If they elect to get Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot, they can contact a pharmacy carrying those vaccines. With the new NACI guidance suggesting an mRNA vaccine as a booster dose, people are confused. “A lot of people are really stressed out about having to make the decision,” Barbara Violo, owner of the Junction Chemist pharmacy in Toronto, told CP24 News. Violo said that she was unsure if her pharmacy should still carry the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine moving forward The NACI recommendations are putting pressure on pharmacists to rebook people and explain all the options to confused patients. Bates said that 160,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are available in pharmacies, but more Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will be needed to meet the increased demand. “Right now there’s not enough predictability in the supply for pharmacists to even book people,” Bates said. Pharmacies get 100 to 150 doses of mRNA vaccines a week, he said. There’s also the risk of wasting doses. “If people move away from AstraZeneca, it’s going to sit in the fridges because nobody wants it. There’s nothing we can do with it and I think that’s a shame,” Bates told Global News. Anyone 12 years old and older can book an appointment for a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine through a participating pharmacy or through the provincial booking system. Quebec Pharmacies continue to provide Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. On June 21, Quebec residents 30 years old or older can reschedule appointments for second dose to get an earlier appointment. Other age groups can reschedule as the week progresses. The Comité sur l'immunisation du Québec recommends people who had the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a first dose have an mRNA vaccine as a second dose, except where the mRNA vaccines are contraindicated or if a person prefers getting AstraZeneca as a second dose. People 18 and older can book appointments to get vaccinated at pharmacies or community clinics. Children aged 12 to 17 will be immunized through community immunization clinics. All appointments are booked centrally through Quebec’s appointment-booking portal Clic Santé. New Brunswick New Brunswick was able to move to their first stage of their provincial reopening plan on June 16 after it reached the goal of 75.1% of eligible residents vaccinated. Plans for reopening were delayed because the target hadn’t been reached by the anticipated date. Pharmacy teams have given more than 259,000 doses to date. “I am grateful to the New Brunswick pharmacists and health-care workers in Horizon and Vitalité health network clinics who have played a vital role in helping us reach this goal by administering vaccines,” said Premier Blaine Higgs on June 16. New Brunswick pharmacies provide COVID-19 vaccines to people aged 12 or older. On June 21, all residents 12 and older will be eligible to book a second dose. People 55 and older who received a first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at least eight weeks ago can get a second dose of any type of COVID-19 vaccine through participating pharmacies or public health clinics. The province recommends an mRNA vaccine for the second dose. Participating pharmacies can be found on the government website and eligible residents book their appointment through the pharmacy. Clinics run by Horizon Health Network or Vitalité Health Network are providing COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone aged 12 or older. Nova Scotia Nova Scotians are being invited by email to reschedule their second dose appointment to an earlier date when they become eligible. People can reschedule to get their second dose at any clinic or pharmacy across the province. Nova Scotians who received a first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can reschedule their second dose appointment to 28 days after the first dose. This policy change is based on new NACI recommendations that the minimum interval between doses should be the minimum interval of the product used on the first dose. The product monograph for AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has a minimum interval of 28 days. The province’s current supply of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine expires on June 30. Nova Scotia is recommending an mRNA vaccine for the second dose. Nova Scotians 12 years and older can now book appointments to get a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at a community clinic or one of the participating pharmacies. All appointments are booked through the province’s booking system P.E.I. P.E.I. pharmacies are giving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to people 18 years and older who make an appointment with one of the 12 participating pharmacies. Pharmacies are contacting patients who received an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy with details about a second dose appointment. While an mRNA vaccine is recommended for the second dose, patients will have the option of getting AstraZeneca COVID vaccine as a second dose f they choose. People who received their first dose in May or earlier are beng ccontacted by pharmacies or by the province’s booking tool about second appointments. Anyone 12 years or older can book an appointment at to get vaccinated at a community immunization clinic. Newfoundland and Labrador The demand for COVID-19 vaccines at pharmacies is far exceeding supply, said Jennifer Collingwood, executive director of the pharmacists’ association of Newfoundland and Labrador. She said most pharmacies exhausted their supply within the first week of receiving it. Supply should increase soon with the province receiving a large supply of Moderna on June 18. Approximately 160 pharmacies in Newfoundland and Labrador are giving first and second doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to people 18 years and over. Appointments are made with the pharmacy. Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador who are 12 years old or older can also book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at a community clinic. Residents are invited to reschedule their second dose appointment to an earlier date. People who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can choose what type of vaccine they want for their second dose. Nunavut Nunavut is providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents 12 years and older through community clinics. Northwest territories Vaccines are being given out in community clinics. Every resident 12 years and older is now being offered a COVID-19 vaccine. Yukon COVID-19 vaccines are available to all residents of the Yukon over 12, and are given at community clinics A previous update of the vaccine rollout in community pharmacies across Canada was published on June 12.

Pharmacies play crucial role as provinces hinge reopening plans on vaccination rates

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics