NEW YORK (AP) – They are just ordinary pharmacists in your neighborhood, but some now wear superhero capes.
Local pharmacy owners are filling in the gaps as federal, state and local authorities across the country struggle to increase vaccination vital to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. In some small towns in the United States, an independent pharmacy is the only place where residents can get the COVID-19 vaccination.
President Joe Biden recently celebrated the injection of the 50 millionth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since his inauguration. But the huge undertaking has been hampered by a shortage of vaccines and concerns about whether marginalized communities are having access to vaccines.
The hope is that local pharmacies now play a key role in inoculating more Americans. They became vaccine suppliers by signing up with the state health authorities and the Federal Vaccine Pharmacy Program for Vaccination COVID-19, which distributes vaccines to independent pharmacy chains, as well as major national chains.
Biden government coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said at the beginning of the program last month that about 6,500 pharmacies would receive a total of 1 million doses, with more pharmacies joining the program as vaccine production increases. The program does not fully fill the gaps, however – more than 400 rural counties do not have a retail pharmacy included in the partnership.
Vaccination requires many hours of administrative work, and there is little or no money for pharmacy owners. They do not need to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine, unlike flu and other vaccines, but they have administrative costs that can be recovered when patients are insured. Still, money is not your immediate concern.
Adam Bayer and his wife distributed injections at his store, Hillcrest Pharmacy in Vernon, Texas. The work can be intense – the first batch of 100 doses took a day and a half to administer. In addition to giving the vaccine, they must monitor patients for 15 minutes for signs of allergic reactions.
Bayer signed up to become a vaccine supplier because he believed he was in a position to help fight the pandemic. He has been proactive and close to customers.
“We are calling patients who we know are not online,” he says. “My prayer is that we are not leaving people behind.”
Good Neighbor Pharmacy, one of the chains whose members are participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy program, has already distributed 75,000 doses to pharmacies in Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Texas and Guam, says Jenni Zilka, senior vice president of the chain. These doses started to arrive in the week of February 11th.
In all, the Federal Retail Pharmacy program has 21 participating companies, including large drugstore and supermarket chains and mass merchants like Costco and Walmart. However, not all major chains such as CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreen’s are distributing vaccines in all states where they are located.
The program is boosting independents, who for decades have been losing ground to retailers across the country. In 2015, independents represented 36% of the 61,000 pharmacies in the U.S., according to the National Community Pharmacists Association, a commercial group. In 2019, they represented 35%, as the total number of pharmacies grew to 61,480.
Pharmacists who receive a smile and a nod when customers take routine prescriptions are now greeted with applause and tears from customers, first responders and residents of assisted living centers in communities across the country.
Pharmacists themselves are equally emotional.
“The opportunity to call someone 85 and say, ‘I’m going to give you a vaccine’ is a very profound experience,” says Chris Antypas, co-owner of Asti’s South Hills Pharmacy in Pittsburgh, who has distributed several hundred doses.
In addition to administering COVID-19 injections in their stores, pharmacists have also set up mass immunization clinics. They already have experience in giving vaccines – for years they have administered flu, pneumonia, herpes zoster and other vaccines. But they need to receive additional training before they can administer COVID-19 injections: they must learn to handle and store the vaccine and, unlike other immunizations, they must inform health authorities who receives the vaccines and the name of the manufacturer of the vaccine. each dose.
Matt Hopp owns what is known as a closed-door pharmacy – specializes in packaging and delivering medicines to assisted living facilities and nursing homes in the Atlanta area. So far, Guardian Pharmacy has administered 1,500 doses to people in assisted living who have come to drive-through clinics. Hopp says he will charge Medicare and insurance companies later.
“We are more focused on taking the vaccine to the foreign market,” he says.
Many pharmacists, especially those who run mass clinics, are receiving help from their communities. School districts, fire departments and owners with empty stores have offered to use their spaces, says Antypas.
Mayank Amin, who set up mass clinics in the suburbs of Philadelphia, got help from doctors and other health professionals who volunteered to administer injections, sometimes up to 1,000 in an eight-hour period. Amin, owner of Skippack Pharmacy in Skippack Township, Pennsylvania, also responded to requests to open more clinics.
“As soon as word got around that we were doing this, we started getting calls from different counties and mayors,” says Amin.
Like other pharmacists, Ochoa’s Pharmacy owners had to provide Texas health officials with detailed information about the population they serve and their physical facilities, including how they would store and administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The Ochoa family, which owns two pharmacies in the city of Edinburgh, even had to inform the state of the model number of their refrigerators and how they would record the temperatures at which the vaccine would be stored.
“When we received the e-mail saying that we were going to get the vaccine, we started to cry”, says Alessandra Ochoa. Her family pharmacies are located in Hidalgo County, an area hard hit by the virus.
Pharmacists face the same uncertain pace of vaccine distribution as hospitals and other medical facilities. They fill out surveys that include estimates of the number of doses they need, but they don’t know how many doses they will receive – or if they will receive any at all.
“You don’t want to get excited and go to zero,” says Amin. But when the vaccine arrives, Amin says he needs to be quick, guaranteeing a location for a clinic. But despite the stress of getting a clinic, Amin manages to bring a little levity to the distribution of the vaccine – he will arrive dressed in a superhero costume, with a red cape.
People who get their pictures right are amazed by the gratitude. When Guardian Pharmacy staff arrive with the vaccine, residents living with assistance greet them with applause. And Ochoa saw many deeply emotional moments.
“They are praying while they receive it – praying the Ave Maria, the Our Father, and there are tears streaming down their faces,” she says.