Pharmacists have welcomed an announcement by the Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, that Covid vaccinations are to begin in community pharmacies from this month.

The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) has been campaigning for such a move for months. In March, its secretary general, Darragh O’Loughlin, said that pharmacists were “increasingly frustrated at the complete lack of clarity” around their role in the vaccination programme.

He emphasised at that time that community pharmacists were “ready and waiting to vaccinate people within their local communities”.

Speaking in the Seanad on Monday, Minister Donnelly finally confirmed that pharmacists would have a role to play in the vaccination programme from this month.

Welcoming the announcement, Mr O’Loughlin pointed out that over half of people in Ireland live within one kilometre of a pharmacy, while 85% live within 5km.

“Utilising community pharmacies will allow many people the option of receiving their vaccines in their local community. This will eliminate the need for potentially long trips to vaccine centres and allow for a more convenient and efficient experience for the recipients,” he commented.

He said that pharmacists are “trained, experienced and ready to start vaccinating in every town, village and community around the country”.

“We eagerly await the formal details from the HSE that we hope will allow pharmacy vaccinations to start without any further delay,” Mr O’Loughlin added.