Canadian pharmacists join urgent call for more collaboration and targeted action to support harder hit regions
Large majority of Canadians support allocating vaccines to those who are in most need
April 23, 2021 (Ottawa): Canada is at a critical junction in our fight against COVID-19 and urgent targeted action is needed to protect Canadians in regions most at risk. Vaccinations are not reaching people at higher risk fast enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in many areas across the country.
CPhA is joining Canada’s health community in urgently calling for more collaboration across the country to support regions and provinces that are struggling to contain the number of outbreaks and are seeing an alarming increase in cases, hospitalizations and serious illness.
“This is the time we need to pull together and take a national approach,” says Christina Tulk, Chair, CPhA. “We know COVID-19 does not respect borders and that our success as a country depends on limiting the spread between communities. This third wave is different. We cannot combat this wave without more collaboration across the country to support our harder hit regions and communities.”
In addition to implementing and maintaining stronger public health measures across the country to prevent the spread, Canada’s vaccine strategy has become even more vital. As Canada receives more vaccines in the coming weeks and months, we have to ensure that they are getting into the arms of Canadians as quickly as possible and that they are being prioritized for those most at risk.
Pharmacies are accessible and can play an important role in ramping up vaccine distribution, especially in the hardest hit areas. Pharmacists know their communities and can reach those who may be reluctant to get their vaccines or are unable to travel to mass vaccination sites. By allocating the full range of vaccines to pharmacies and other community settings in hot spots, we can increase the number of essential and at-risk workers more quickly and efficiently.
We are also calling for a more collaborative and targeted approach to the allocation of vaccines focused on areas and populations with the most urgent need. These are difficult decisions to make, but are necessary to save lives.
According to a new national survey conducted by Abacus Data, a large majority of Canadians (88%) support or can accept allocating vaccines to areas of the country most in need of them, even if it means they might have to wait longer to get their first or second dose.
Pharmacists in every community are standing shoulder to shoulder with their health professional colleagues across the country who are working day and night to protect Canadians from this third wave.
About the Canadian Pharmacists Association
The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) is the uniting national voice of pharmacy and the pharmacist profession in Canada. As pharmacists undertake an enhanced role in the delivery of health care, CPhA ensures that the profession is recognized as a national leader in health care, influencing the policies, programs, budgets and initiatives affecting the profession and the health of Canadians. More information is available at www.pharmacists.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Tyler Gogo
Strategic Communications Manager
Canadian Pharmacists Association
tgogo@pharmacists.ca
613-293-7223