Public ready for virus vaccine in pharmacy: NPA

Hot on the heels of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's announcement today (Nov 9) that it's vaccine candidate can prevent more than 90 per cent of people from getting Covid-19, a national survey has revealed that the vast majority of Britons would consider getting vaccinated against the virus at a pharmacy.

Significantly, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson also confirmed today that the UK expects to receive 10 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine this year with additional doses coming in 2021.

Up to 73 per cent of people who took part in an online survey the National Pharmacy Association last week said they would “definitely or might” get vaccinated at their local pharmacy, if this was available as an NHS service.

While only 8 per cent ruled out getting a vaccine at a pharmacy, 19 per cent said they did not intend to get vaccinated at all.

NPA chair, Andrew Lane, said: “Community pharmacy can play a significant role in the COVID-19 vaccination programme, having already proven our capabilities in relation to the NHS flu vaccination scheme. The NHS will need to deploy all the providers at its disposal for this vital task.

“Most people can get to a pharmacy within a matter of minutes, including in the most deprived areas, which is a level of access unsurpassed elsewhere in the health service.

“What’s more, people have a high level of trust in their local pharmacists, which could be an important factor in overcoming doubts and misapprehensions about vaccines for COVID-19.

“Provided adequate resources for implementation, pharmacies can help the UK get through the coronavirus pandemic. A firm commitment to meet the extra costs already borne by pharmacies to deliver NHS care during the pandemic would be enormously helpful in motivating pharmacies for the next phase of the pandemic response.”

The results of the survey of 2,001 UK adults was conducted between from October 29 and November 2 and were revealed by the NPA today at its winter conference, only a week after NHS chief executive Simon Stevens announced that pharmacists, as well as doctors and nurses, would be involved in Covid-19 vaccinations.