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The new “Sostegni” decree approved a few days ago by the government provides, among other things, the implementation of the new vaccination plan with the involvement of other categories that will be able to administer the vaccine against Covid-19.
In the coming weeks, therefore, the doctors already working in the hospitals and specially created hubs will be added pharmacists, dentists, nurses outside working hours e pediatricians of free choice.
As regards in particular the possibility of receiving the vaccine in pharmacies, this is an experimental measure, which presupposes the attendance of a 16-hour training course already prepared by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità.
In this way we try to give further support and push to the vaccination campaign, slowed down by the shortage of medical personnel and in some cases also by the poor territorial organization. In the next few days, an operational protocol will be defined which will involve the trade unions and the professional order to specify the aspects relating to the safety measures and structural requirements of the premises in which the vaccines will be stored and administered.
Vaccines in pharmacies, how it will work
In fact, the text of the decree published in the Official Gazette states that “it is allowed, on an experimental basis, for the year 2021, the administration of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in pharmacies open to the public by pharmacists, suitably trained with the procedures referred to in paragraph 465, also with specific reference to the discipline of informed consent that they acquire directly, subject to the stipulation of specific agreements with the trade union organizations representing the pharmacies, after consulting the competent professional order, without new or greater charges borne by public finance. (…) Pharmacists are required to transmit, without delay and with secure telematic methods, the data relating to vaccinations carried out in the region or autonomous province of reference “.
The goal is to reach at least 400 thousand daily doses carried out: not all Italian pharmacies will be able to join the campaign, but only some, as has already happened for those that have decided to offer rapid antigenic swabs and serological tests. You will not be able to go to the pharmacy and queue: exactly as it happens now for hospitals and hubs, you will have to wait to be contacted by the health authorities or book according to your age group. The system will then indicate the pharmacy closest to your residence as the vaccination site.
The opinion of the trade associations
“It is a must – he explained to Agi in recent days Andrea Mandelli, president of the Federation of Italian Pharmacist Orders and vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies – because we need to vaccinate as much as possible, as quickly as possible. It will obviously be on base voluntary, but we expect a high level of adhesion ”. After all, the government’s choice would be in line with that of other European countries, such as France, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Portugal, where pharmacists are already engaged in vaccination.
“We are ready to define an operational protocol for an effective vaccination campaign in the pharmacy, also thanks to our positive experience reported with antigen tests – he said instead Marco Cossolo, president of Federfarma – in this way the network of over 19 thousand Italian pharmacies will be able to make their contribution to achieving the goal of vaccinating as many people as possible and in the shortest possible time ”.
Already last October 7,500 pharmacists have voluntarily carried out training courses for the administration of vaccines and today there are 5,174 enabled, while another 2,800 are completing the update.
The doubts of doctors
The decree canceled a provision of the previous law which required the direct presence of a doctor for vaccination in pharmacies. And it is on this aspect that doubts have been raised by the National Federation of Orders of Surgeons and Dentists: “The right need to accelerate and expand the vaccination campaign cannot be at the expense of safety“.
President Filippo Anelli underlined: “We understand and share the need on the part of the Government to increase the points of administration of vaccines, when we finally have to dispose of them in sufficient quantities – affirms the President, Filippo Anelli -. In this sense, and only for the duration of the emergency phase, the administration of anti-Covid vaccines in pharmacies can be envisaged. Administration that would indeed go extended to parapharmacies, in particular those present in shopping centers, where a large number of citizens flock. However, the issue of safety remains essential. The vaccine is a drug and must be administered, as required by regulatory agencies, only with a doctor’s prescription, i.e. after anamnestic and clinical evaluation. Always that is under the supervision, in the presence, of a physician, who can collect informed consent, assess the patient’s state of health and promptly manage any side effects “.
According to the FNOMCeO, with the call to gather “to increase the army of employed doctors and colleagues enrolled as vaccinators, 164800 have now arrived including general practitioners, pediatricians of free choice, outpatient specialists, dentists, medical specialists, volunteer doctors” , who could then support pharmacists and intervene in case of need.
