Irish community pharmacies have significantly ramped up the number of Covid-19 vaccines they are administering in order to assist the accelerated booster vaccination programme, the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) has said.

According to the IPU, pharmacies are now administering over 10,000 vaccines a day and have administered a half a million vaccines since June.

“The inclusion of pharmacies in the vaccination campaign during the summer had an immediate impact as they delivered an all-hands-on-deck approach to get people vaccinated.

“With growing case numbers linked to the Omicron variant, that approach was again called for in order to get boosters rolled out rapidly in Ireland. Community pharmacists have answered the call and ramped up vaccination rates considerably in recent weeks,” commented IPU secretary general, Darragh O’Loughlin.

He pointed out that pharmacists provided over 13,000 vaccinations on one day alone recently (December 17).

“Availing of a Covid-19 booster vaccine in a local pharmacy is both easy and convenient, with pharmacies open at suitable times for the public. They represent an alternative to potentially long trips to vaccine centres and provide an accessible and efficient experience for the public,” Mr O’Loughlin insisted.

He said that with this booster campaign, pharmacies “are once again proving their worth”.

“They are showing how they can play a central role providing healthcare in the community. Pharmacists are trained, experienced and can alleviate the pressure on the overstretched GP sector in many ways. The contribution of local pharmacies has been evident throughout the pandemic and should be utilised routinely, not solely during times of crisis,” Mr O’Loughlin added.