Four in 10 community pharmacists who caught Covid-19 believe that they contracted the virus it at their workplace, a latest survey has revealed.
A survey by Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) on about how the pandemic had been managed by their employers included information from 556 community pharmacy respondents.
“Of the community pharmacists, 122 (22 per cent) said that they had caught Covid-19 and of those, 49 (40 per cent of those who had caught Covid-19) believed that they had caught the virus in the workplace,” the survey added.
Only five of those pharmacists believed that their employers had reported the workplace exposure to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
Significantly, a recent government response to a written question in the House of Lords stated that zero instances of workplace exposure to the deadly virus had been reported from community pharmacy employers.
“Sadly, this means even those five appear to have been let down, as no such reports have been submitted,” the PDA pointed out in its report.
The survey also raises further serious questions about the actions of community pharmacy employers who have not reported cases to the HSE.
Up until now, the government and the pharmacy regulator are yet to probe why there have been no reports in community pharmacy under this essential health and safety law.
