Lack of staff and burnout among employees from the large number of clients seeking vaccines at pharmacies across the United States has led to temporary closures.
Pharmacies tend to be busier this time of year for flu vaccines, among others, but now pharmacists distribute a larger quantity of COVID-19 vaccines and test for coronavirus. This whole panorama is complicated by the government’s exhortation for citizens to be immunized due to the arrival of the omicron variant.
On Thursday, the White House said that more than two out of every three covid-19 vaccines are administered in local pharmacies, Diario las Américas reported.
Pharmacists worry that if regulators approve antiviral pills from drug companies Merck and Pfizer to treat COVID-19, they will also have to be charged with diagnosing infections and then prescribing the pills to customers.
In addition to that workload and routine prescriptions, many pharmacies also ask pharmacists to advise patients more generally about their health or chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Pharmacies have also taken more phone calls from customers with questions about COVID-19 vaccines or testing.
