COVID-19 vaccine rush prompts several US pharmacies to shutdown temporarily: Report

After United States President Joe Biden pushed for booster jabs for all citizens vaccinated against COVID-19, the rush of vaccine-seeking customers fuelled by staff shortages amid the holiday season has led to the temporary closure of pharmacies across the country.

The rush is expected to grow further after the White House on Thursday announced that more than two in three COVID-19 vaccinations are happening at local pharmacies amid rising concerns over infections caused by the new coronavirus variant, Omicron. Meanwhile, the pharmacist is worried that there might be an addition to their to-do list if US drug regulators approve antiviral pills from Merck and Pfizer to treat COVID-19, AP reported.

It is pertinent to mention that it is already a tough time for drugstores in the US since pharmacists are busy with flu shots and other vaccines. Now they are doling out a growing number of COVID vaccines as well as tests.

“There’s crazy increased demand on pharmacies right now,” an independent pharmacist, Theresa Tolle, told AP.

Tolle has seen COVID-19 vaccine demand quadruple since the summer at her Sebastian, Florida, store, AP reported. The demand for vaccination in the US had started shooting up since the Delta variant of COVID-19 spread rapidly over the summer. Additionally, approval of booster shots for all citizens and expansion of eligibility to include children had also fuelled the demand.

'We’re doing everything we can to take care of people'

Many pharmacies have also been urged to counsel patients on their health or about chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. Drugstores have been handling more phone calls with queries about vaccines and COVID tests, which has added to the workload of workers.

“We’re all working a lot harder than we did before, but we’re doing everything we can to take care of people,”  the owner of three pharmacies, Justin Wilson told AP.

Meanwhile, the American Pharmacist Association noted that temporary closure has ebbed and flowed in pockets around the country through the waves of COVID, growing acute in recent months.

2.2 million vaccine doses administered in 24hrs

As the Omicron scare continues to bother healthcare experts across the world, the United States witnessed a record rise in vaccination against COVID-19 on Thursday. As per data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 2.2 million shots were administered in 24 hours ending on Thursday, which was the largest daily total since May, CNN reported. As per White House COVID data director, Cyprus Shahpar, roughly half of the count were booster doses, as mentioned in his official Twitter post.

On the infection count, the US for the first time in two months is averaging more than one lakh new COVID infections each day, CNN reported. As of Saturday, the seven-day average remained 1,21,437, according to data provided by John Hopkins University. While much of the cases continued to be of Delta variant, there were also cases of Omicron in at least 16 states across the country.

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP)