“We offer flu shots, but have run out until the middle of next week.”
Unfortunately, my site is far from the only one parroting these words ad nauseam this past weekend:
In this article, it states that 60,000 people have been shot…er…vaccinated by their pharmacist in Nova Scotia when that number was expected to only be around 20,000. In addition, 435,000 flu shots have been distributed. That number represents 47% of the population, which puts NS in line to be the most vaccinated province in Canada. Those are some impressive numbers.
The first frenzy took place mid-Oct with media advertisements and statements from public health. Due to an administrative hiccup, my site had one pharmacist out of three with the authority to administer injections so we had to be creative with scheduling. Still, we managed to exhaust our initial supply and applied for another distribution. Then, the fever died down (pun intended). Things went quiet over the holidays with only the occasional inquiry. Then we get thrown a curveball from our sister province Alberta:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-flu-cases-spike-5-deaths-confirmed-1.2482027
Not exactly a happy New Year to be sure.
Needless to say, this was a scary item to read online or hear on the 5 o’clock news. People reacted and started coming out in droves. When physicians’ offices began running out, pharmacies were the place to go. We had families calling from 45 minutes away to see if we had supply and offered the service. In saying yes, often the following question was “where are you located exactly?” People who had so far resisted getting vaccinated had their minds made up to receive one. Parents were bringing in their kids (5 years and up) and weren’t leaving even if it took a bear hug from mom or dad to control flailing limbs. It was pretty intense at the dispensary last week managing these requests. That is, until we burned through our relatively small supply and started to turn folks away.
Reports indicate that the flu season is only expected to peak in February and we’ve already begun to see a spike in positive influenza tests across the country. The FluWatch report issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada up to Jan 4 notes that cases are being reported in a higher proportion of adults 20-64, which is a change from last year. You can find the full report here:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fluwatch/13-14/w01_14/index-eng.php
That last link took me awhile to digest. At least the graphs were varied and pretty-looking.
All in all, I believe we can surmise that pharmacy has strongly impacted awareness and access to the flu vaccine so far in our first season. Now, I say this with the caveat that the season is not over and final vaccination rates are not yet available. Incorporating an injection service into our current processes is new, and it’s unpredictable, but I have to admit it’s been satisfying. Congratulations to all of my fellow colleagues who took the plunge and are embracing this new public health service with fervor and professionalism. If you’re like me, the overwhelming feedback from patients has been supportive and appreciative.
On that note, a quick story from Friday night…
A family of four from quite a distance away called to ask about having their kids vaccinated. One was 5, the other was 7 and their family doctor had no vaccines left. Once they arrived over the supper hour, I prepared the syringes and laid out the supplies. I had not uncapped the needle when the tantrums started. A boy and a girl were both convicted in the fact that whatever was going on was NOT happening on this night. The parents were worried that supply wouldn’t be there if they had to return and as it stood, I was down to about a half-dozen at that point. There were tears, and kids are slippery when they want to be. However, with a little patience, I was able to follow through without incident even though I wondered about them ever wanting to see me again. Five minutes later, the mom and a now sheepish little girl approached. The conversation went like this:
Mom: “What did you say? Did you want to tell him what you just told me?”
Girl: Hides behind mom
Mom: “She asked that if next year Dr. xxx isn’t able to give the shot again, would she be able to come see you?”
Me (in full blush): “Of course! You did very well.”
I found the rest of the night to be a bit of a blur 🙂
I hope we get our next allotment soon…
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.
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