The delivery of COVID-19 vaccines through community pharmacies has hit another milestone with nine million doses having been administered since community pharmacies were brought into the rollout in July last year.
The latest Department of Health data also highlights the impact community pharmacies as a single sector have had on ensuring the success of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in protecting communities across the country.
National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Trent Twomey said the data showed the percentage of COVID-19 vaccinations delivered through community pharmacies had risen steadily since the sector had been brought into the program.
"In August last year, soon after community pharmacies were given the green light to provide the vaccines, the number of Australians receiving their COVID-19 vaccination in a community pharmacy was about 8 per cent," Professor Twomey said.
"Fast forward to late October this year and the data shows that about 47 per cent of Australians were choosing community pharmacies as the place to go to have their vaccinations.
"Even more significantly, the remaining 53 per cent or so of the vaccinations were being delivered collectively through doctors' surgeries, Commonwealth vaccination clinics, Aboriginal Community Health Centres, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and other Commonwealth vaccination facilities.
"With all these other providers making up the balance, it is clear the community pharmacy sector is the largest provider of COVID-19 vaccinations and clearly pharmacies are the provider of choice for Australians."
Professor Twomey said the accessibility of community pharmacies, and the trust Australians have in their pharmacists, were instrumental in people choosing pharmacies to have their vaccinations.
"Community pharmacists are consistently rated among the most trusted health professionals and the fact that 97 per cent of Australians in capital cities live within 2.5km of at least one pharmacy, while in the regional, rural and remote areas of Australia 66 per cent of people are within 2.5km of a pharmacy, means access to that trusted health professional to administer the vaccination is not a problem."
Department of Health data released 4 November 2022.
